What physical phenomenon causes the light from distant galaxies to be shifted toward the red end of the spectrum during spectroscopic analysis?
Answer
The light waves are stretched because the object is moving away from the observer.
The analysis of light emitted by distant galaxies, known as spectroscopy, revealed a consistent pattern called redshift. This phenomenon is fundamentally linked to the Doppler effect applied to electromagnetic radiation. When an object emitting light is receding from an observer, the waves of that light are physically stretched out in transit. This stretching shifts the observed wavelengths toward the longer, red end of the electromagnetic spectrum. The consistent observation of redshift across nearly all galaxies indicated a systemic motion away from Earth, contrasting sharply with what would be expected in a static universe.
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