The Doppler Effect.

What is the doppler effect, you might ask... I'll give you a hint:


Wreeerrrrrrrr. (As I am sure you have guessed, that sound is that of a car traveling at high velocities passing you).


Wanting to be a astronomer when I grow up, the doppler effect is an important aspect of studying stars in our universe. (Not only stars but planets, galaxies, asteroids, etc.). The doppler effect is the change in the frequency of sound or light's wavelength moving from an object in motion towards the observer. Using this, one can determine the distance of objects in space and their rate of change in their positions.

A practical use of this would be to find other planets. For instance, our sun moves ever so slightly towards and away from the planets that surround it as our planets have mass and have a tiny pull on the sun. Likewise with other stars, if we see a star whose wavelength frequency changes routinely we can see that there is some other body in space pulling on the star.

I think this is fascinating. Because of something so simple as the doppler effect we are able to learn so much in regards to the makeup of our universe and how many aspects of gravity and revolution work, as well as many other things.

Yeah, this is the stuff I think is cool. Also, I'm wearing my doppler effect t-shirt today, it only seemed right to post something about it.