| − | The '''redshift''' of a given object is a measure of the amount that the [[wavelength]] of its emitted or reflected electromagnetic radiation has increased.<ref name=britannica>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/science/redshift|title=Redshift|accessdate=2019-04-02}}</ref> This increase in wavelength is prevailingly interpreted as due to the relative motion of a source with respect to an [[Scientific observation|observer]]; a [[light]] emitting source moving away from an observer will have its spectrum shifted toward longer (in optical light, redder) wavelengths. In practice this is analogous to the [[Doppler effect|Doppler shifting]] of sound waves emitted from a moving source. Light emitted from a source moving towards an observer will experience a blueshift. In the case of redshift, however, most of the redshift is believed to be due not to the object moving through space, but to the expansion of space itself. | + | The '''redshift''' of a given object is a measure of the amount that the [[wavelength]] of its emitted or reflected electromagnetic radiation has increased.<ref name=britannica>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/science/redshift|title=Redshift|accessdate=2019-04-02}}</ref> This increase in wavelength is prevailingly interpreted as due to the relative motion of a source with respect to an [[Scientific observation|observer]]; a [[light]] emitting source moving away from an observer will have its spectrum shifted toward longer (in [[visible light|optical light]], redder) wavelengths. In practice this is analogous to the [[Doppler effect|Doppler shifting]] of sound waves emitted from a moving source. Light emitted from a source moving towards an observer will experience a blueshift. In the case of redshift, however, most of the redshift is believed to be due not to the object moving through space, but to the expansion of space itself. |