Astronomy Answers: From the Astronomical Dictionary

Astronomy Answers
From the Astronomical Dictionary


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The description of the word you requested from the astronomical dictionary is given below.

the redshift

A redshift is a doppler shift, of characteristics (such as spectral lines) in the frequency spectrum of light, to smaller frequencies, so that yellow light gets more reddish. The opposite of redshift is blueshift. The ratio of the frequencies of redshifted characteristics and the frequencies of the unshifted characteristics is also called redshift, usually denoted by a variable called (z).

Systematic redshift is found in the spectra of all but the closest of galaxies, which is seen as evidence for the expansion of the Universe.