What physical process stretches the light wave as it travels across billions of light-years toward Earth?
Answer
The expansion of the space it traverses
As a photon travels across vast cosmic distances, the fabric of spacetime expands, stretching the light wave during its journey.
Related Questions
What does the redshift observed in deep space primarily describe?What physical process stretches the light wave as it travels across billions of light-years toward Earth?If a galaxy were moving toward an observer, what spectral shift would its light exhibit?According to the principles discussed, how does the degree of redshift relate to a galaxy's distance?What fundamental relationship between redshift and distance did Edwin Hubble codify?Why is measuring redshift considered an immensely powerful technique for gauging cosmological distance?What common analogy is used to help explain the physics behind spectral shifting?What two distinct physical phenomena can cause a galaxy to appear 'red' observationally?In the context of very distant galaxies, what is the dominant cause of the observed spectral shift?What does observing a galaxy with a redshift ($z$) of $z=1.0$ imply regarding its light wavelength compared to $z=0.1$?When determining the furthest objects currently observable, what measurement is the definitive yardstick?