Comment Re:How can you detect the Doppler shift? (Score 1) 104
I think I'm on to something here, I'm going to enter that SHA-3 competition
I think I'm on to something here, I'm going to enter that SHA-3 competition
We know some stars fall within a certain range of temperatures, we also know of a few events (such as hydrogen falling into a white dwarf or neutron star) that seem to be almost exactly the same, no matter where they happen, and can give an independent estimate of distance based on brightness.
So the key is, we look for some spectral lines (plural) that are a set fraction apart, or come from a known object. We use that to find the distance, then we can use that information to find other chemicals.
It's a bit hard to explain without a picture, but imagine you see a sequence of bright lines at 1, 2, 5, 7. Then another at 3, 6, 15, 21. (They're usually 335nm, vs 337nm etc, but the distinction is clearer with integers.
If you have enough other information/reasons to believe it to be consistent you can assume the second sequence is 3 times the first and thus is red-shifted by a factor of 3.
As you said/questioned this cannot be done with one frequency, but with many(or a single known source) you can figure out both distance and chemical makeup.
If it's that close to a quasar I don't think it's gunna have much in the way of life. At least no life based on water.
Not that I'm terribly knowledgeable on the subject, but what about Jainism?
As far as I'm aware Jainists are all about the 'don't hurt anything, ever' school of thought.
Saliva causes cancer, but only if swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time. -- George Carlin