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blueshift

In the light of that, the term ‘blueshift’ has acquired a more general meaning. It is used to refer to any shift towards higher frequencies, including types of electromagnetic radiation where the frequencies do not correspond to any visible colour, and more generally to other types of waves (for example, gravitational waves).

See also redshift.

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waves (wave)

In a general sense: any travelling pattern, whether or not it involves matter being transported as well. Simple examples are water-waves - wave crests and troughs travelling over a water surface, and a Mexican wave in a football stadium, with fans alternately standing up and sitting down - the pattern moves throught the stadium, not the fans themselves.

An especially simple form for a wave is a sinus wave, a regular pattern of wave crests and troughs.

spectrum

The electromagnetic radiation reaching us from an astronomical object or other source is a mix of electromagnetic waves with a great variety of frequencies. The spectrum lists the composition of this mix: For every frequency, it states the amount of radiation energy contributed by waves of that particular frequency.

radiation

In a general sense: Collective name for all phenomena in which energy is transported through space in the form of waves or particles. In a more restricted sense, the word is often used synonymously with electromagnetic radiation.

light

Light in the strict sense of the word is electromagnetic radiation the human eye can detect, with wave-lengths between 400 and 700 nano metres. In relativity theory and in astronomy, the word is often used in a more general sense, encompassing all kinds of electromagnetic radiation. For instance, astronomers might talk about "infrared light" or "gamma light"; in this context, light in the stricter sense is referred to as "visible light". Within classical physics, the properties of light are governed by Maxwell's equations; in quantum physics, it turns out that light is a stream of energy packets called light quanta or photons. In the context of relativistic physics, light is of great interest, and for a number of reasons. First of all, the speed of light plays a central role in both special and general relativity. Also, there are a number of interesting effects in general relativity which are associated with the propagation of light, namely deflection, the Shapiro effect and the gravitational redshift.

frequency

Measure for the rapidity of an oscillation, defined as the inverse of the period of oscillation: A process that, in oscillating, repeats itself after 0.1 seconds has the frequency 1/(0.1 seconds)= 10 Hz. (The unit Hertz, abbreviated as Hz, is defined as 1 Hz = 1/second.)

For a simple wave, the frequency is given by the number of maxima going by a stationary observer in a second. Ten maxima going by per second correspond to a frequency of 10 Hz.

electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic influences (in the language of physics: electric and magnetic field) which, even with no electric charges present, are locked in a state of mutual excitation so that they form a wave that propagates through space. As this wave transports energy, it is, by the usual physics definition, a form of radiation, called electromagnetic radiation. Depending on frequency, there are special names for different types of electromagnetic radiation; going from lower to higher frequencies: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays. In the context of quantum theory, it turns out that electromagnetic radiation consists of tiny energy packets, called light particles or photons.

blueshift

The frequency of a simple light wave is directly related to its colour (cf. spectrum). For the highest possible frequencies of visible light, the colour is blue-violet. If the frequency of a light wave is shifted towards higher frequencies (for instance by the doppler shift), that corresponds to a colour shift towards the blue-violet end of the spectrum, and is hence called a blueshift. In the light of that, the term 'blueshift' has acquired a more general meaning. It is used to refer to any shift towards higher frequencies, including types of electromagnetic radiation where the frequencies do not correspond to any visible colour, and more generally to other types of waves (for example, gravitational waves). See also redshift.

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blueshift

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