when will a scientist observe redshift in the spectrum of a distant space object?
when the object is moving away from the scientist
when the object is moving toward the scientist
when the object is in the same frame of reference as the scientist
when the object is stationary
A scientist will observe redshift in the spectrum of a distant space object when the object is moving away from the scientist. This is due to the Doppler effect, which causes light waves to appear shifted towards longer wavelengths (redshift) when the source of light is moving away from the observer.
A scientist will observe redshift in the spectrum of a distant space object when the object is moving away from the scientist. Redshift occurs when the wavelength of light emitted by an object is stretched, causing the light to shift towards longer wavelengths (towards the red end of the spectrum). This phenomenon is a result of the Doppler effect, which occurs when there is relative motion between the source of light (the object) and the observer (the scientist). When the object is moving away from the scientist, the light waves are stretched, leading to a redshift in the observed spectrum.
A scientist will observe redshift in the spectrum of a distant space object when the object is moving away from the scientist.
To understand why this happens, we need to consider the concept of redshift. Redshift is a shift in the wavelength of light towards the red end of the spectrum. It occurs when an object is moving away from an observer, causing the wavelengths of light it emits to become stretched. This phenomenon is a consequence of the Doppler effect, which is the change in frequency and wavelength of a wave as the source and observer move relative to each other.
When a distant space object is moving away from the scientist, the light waves emitted by the object become stretched as they travel through space towards the observer. This results in an increase in the wavelength of the light, causing a shift towards the red end of the spectrum. Therefore, when the scientist observes the spectrum of the object, they will detect the redshift.
On the other hand, if the object is moving towards the scientist, the wavelengths of light emitted by the object would be compressed, resulting in a blueshift, which is a shift towards the blue end of the spectrum.
If the object and the scientist are in the same frame of reference or if the object is stationary, there would be no relative motion between them. In this case, there would be no redshift or blueshift observed in the spectrum, and the light would appear at its original wavelength.