redshift

American  

[red-shift] / ˈrɛdˌʃɪft /

Or red shift

noun

Astronomy.

1. a shift toward longer wavelengths of the spectral lines emitted by a celestial object that is caused by the object moving away from the earth.

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redshift British  

/ ˈredˌʃɪft /

noun

1. Compare: blueshift.  a shift in the lines of the spectrum of an astronomical object towards a longer wavelength (the red end of an optical spectrum), relative to the wavelength of these lines in the terrestrial spectrum, usually as a result of the Doppler effect caused by the recession of the object

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Etymology

Origin of redshift

First recorded in 1920–25; red ¹ + shift

Compare meaning

How does redshift compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• redshift vs. blueshift

Example Sentences

Due to the expansion of the universe, that wavelength was stretched to nearly five times its original value, placing it in the near-infrared, a process called cosmological redshift.

From Science Daily

This approach examines only supernovae from young, coeval galaxies -- those with stars of similar ages -- across the entire redshift range.

From Science Daily

Astronomers call a shift to longer wavelengths a redshift.

From Salon

This corresponds to a redshift of about 14, which is a measure of how much a galaxy's light is stretched by the expansion of the universe.

From Science Daily

The researcher analyzed data from recent papers on the distribution of galaxies at low redshifts and the angular size of the sound horizon in the literature at high redshift.

From Science Daily