if the speed theory is the only cause of redshifts, every star in the universe is actually moving away from us

Question

If the speed theory is the only cause of redshifts, every star in the universe is actually moving away from us! Why should we be the center of this expanding universe?

Answer 1

Redshift? Speed Theory? I believe you are confused.

I never heard of this "speed theory," so maybe you are thinking of something else. Redshift, on the other hand, is merely an increase in wavelength of some source of electromagnetic radiation, such as visible light. This can be obtained by increasing the energy within the light source, or forcing the light to travel long distances. Also, every star isn't moving away from us, we are actually all moving away from each other! The best way to explain this is with the balloon model. Imagine the universe as a big empty balloon with dots on it. These dots are sorta like stars, planets, galaxies, and whatever else. Now as you blow up the balloon (as the universe expands), These dots begin to move further away from EACH OTHER, not just some dots moving away from one. Also, we are not the center of our universe. In all actuality, scientists do not know where the center of the universe is, since we haven't and cannot see all of the universe.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Te ordinary speeds of stars of our Galaxy and even relative close galaxies are speeds through space. We can then apply the redshift or blueshift formula of the Doppler effect. You can get redshift if the object is moving away from you o blueshift if the object is moving pointing to you.

For very distant objects, more than half billion light years of us, the cosmological recession speed is the dominant speed, and the resulting effect is a redshift (never blueshif) known as "cosmological redshift". It is conceptually different from Doppler effect, even if for not too long distances the same formula can be applied. Cosmological redshift is a consequence of the expansion of the universe. But the recessional speed of distant objects is not an ordinary speed, because it is not a speed through space but a speed "of the space" that carries everything with it.

Nothing in the universe is the center of nothing, or everithing is the center of the universe, you can consider both situations depending on your taste. The resulting effect of the expanding universe is that every distant object is moving away from any other.

Note: Redshift and blueshift terms are historical names, from the times when the observations were always in the visible spectrum (until third decade of XX century). Later observations were possible on the infrared or even radio frequencies, and in the ultraviolet, X rays and gamma rays, so now we continue to name redshift to frequencies lower than the red light that in fact are separating from it, but the term is still used, meaning now that the frequencies or wavelengths of the radiation are "separated" from their original values corresponding to their emission.

We can consider the center of the expanding universe because every galaxy can also be considered as well as the center. Sure you know the familiar analogy of the inflated balloon, where every spot in it can be considered as the center of the rest of them speeding away from it.

Answer 3

We live in a finite universe,a quantum universe that must have a maximum and minimum size.
Space is a quantum entity so it cannot expand,as such,it can only go from a dense state to a lesser dense state which is an expansion.
The density has a maximum and minimum state beyond which,either way,the universe cannot exist.
The accelerated expansion as stated by the Hubble constant must have another explanation.
The farthest galaxies we see to-day don't exist anymore.
If a spiral galaxy,like the milky were collapsing,at an accelerated rate,the Hubble constant would interpret it as an accelerated recessional velocity.
It would look the same from any side and would apply to any visible galaxy.
The universe is likely not more than 6 billion light years in radius but it could be much older.

Answer 4

Not every star, but almost every galaxy; the farther away, the faster.

We are at the center of the expansion, but so is every other point in the universe. BigBang explains this by saying gravity curves the space around. When you look out at the "edge" of the universe, no matter what direction you look, you're looking back at yourself 13.7 billion years ago.

I believe in an expanding infinite universe. No, it's not getting bigger, because it's already infinite. But the distance between any two very distant points is increasing. The expansion is relative to our measure of distance. It's like we are shrinking, and our meter sticks are shrinking at the same rate; so we perceive an expansion.

Another way to look at it is this: You have a cubic-meter box. Every second 10^-55 cubic meter of new space mysteriously appears inside the box and leaks out without stretching the box. All that new space ends up in the great voids of the cosmic foam, stretching the clusters of galaxies farther apart.

Answer 5

We are not at the center, nor is the universe considered to even have a center. The other galaxies are all moving away from us because they are all moving away from ALL of the others, ours included. This is due to the continuing expansion of the universe subsequent to the Big Bang. Imagine a spherical loaf of, say, raisin bread which could be inflated as one inflates a balloon. As the loaf inflates, the individual raisins in the dough would all be moving away from all the others, would they not? This is comparable to how our universe is inflating, with galaxies as the raisins, and the dough as empty space.


Edit: hantriddvadferonat is reported for copying and pasting the answers of others. Did you think nobody would notice?

Answer 6

No matter what star you are on, you would see other stars in other galaxies zipping away from you. One analogy: take a balloon, take a Sharpie and put equi-distant dots on the surface. Now, blow up the balloon. As the balloon increases in size all the dots will move away from each other without any of them being the center dot. Second analogy: imagine the dough shaped and ready to be baked into a loaf of bread. As it is baked, it expands in all directions. So, all points would see all other points moving away. Yes, there IS a center to the loaf, but you get the idea.

Answer 7

Dude, i think you're talking about doppler shifts, which says:

1) Red waves are from objects moving away from us
2) BLUE waves are from objects moving towards us.

Currently we are observing both red and blue waves, which means we have there are things coming closer as well.

But even if we are only observing red shifts it does not mean we are at the center of the universe. If you are standing on a hill over looking a highway a mile away. You see cars going from East to West. As they approach from the east, they are getting closer, but as they pass you and start approaching west they are moving away from you. keep in mind you are a mile away on a hill and not in the direct path of the cars. The fact is you don't have to be in the center of the universe for something to appear like if it's moving away.

I Hope this makes sense

Answer 8

We are not in the "center" of the expanding Universe.

All things appear to be moving away from each other. However, complete acceptance of that rule is not possible and some things will collide in time...you can't move away from this without the possibility of running into that...

Answer 9

Not every star, but almost every galaxy; the farther away, the faster.

We are at the center of the expansion, but so is every other point in the universe. BigBang explains this by saying gravity curves the space around. When you look out at the "edge" of the universe, no matter what direction you look, you're looking back at yourself 13.7 billion years ago.

Answer 10

It would seem like that.

Now take a balloon, put a number of dots on it with a marker, and inflate it.

Imagine you are standing on one of the dots. From your dot it seems as if all the other dots are moving away from it.
Yet no dot can claim itself to be the center.
Rather, it does not matter which dot you pick: they are all moving away from each other.