What is the term for the slight shortening of a star's light wavelengths when it moves toward Earth?
Answer
Blueshift
When a star moves toward Earth, its light waves are compressed, resulting in shorter wavelengths, which is defined as a blueshift. Conversely, movement away causes a redshift.
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Observatory Online: Exoplanets and the Radial Velocity Method
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What phenomenon does the radial velocity (RV) method fundamentally detect?What is the shared center of mass that a star and its orbiting planet circle?What is the term for the slight shortening of a star's light wavelengths when it moves toward Earth?Which instrument spreads a star's light into a detailed spectrum for RV analysis?Before monitoring shifts, what must astronomers first establish for the star to use the RV method effectively?For a simple, single-planet system viewed edge-on, what shape does the velocity curve plot trace over time?What does a larger amplitude in the radial velocity curve indicate about the orbiting body?What physical property does the RV method only provide a lower limit for due to geometric limitations?Which type of exoplanets are historically favored for detection using the RV method?When the RV method is combined with the transit method, what crucial characteristic can be calculated for the planet?