Calculate Rigel's Velocity Relative to Earth Using the Doppler Effect
What is Rigel's velocity relative to us?
Given data:
- Hydrogen line frequency in star's spectrum: 6.17x10^14 Hz
- Shift in Rigel's spectrum: 4.26x10^10 Hz
Answer:
The velocity of Rigel relative to Earth can be calculated using the Doppler effect formula.
To calculate Rigel's velocity, we can use the Doppler effect formula:
v = (Δf / f_0) * c
Where:
- v is the velocity
- Δf is the shift in frequency
- f_0 is the initial frequency
- c is the speed of light
Plugging in the given values:
- Δf = 4.26x10^10 Hz
- f_0 = 6.17x10^14 Hz
- c = 3x10^8 m/s
Solving for velocity:
Velocity = (4.26x10^10 Hz / 6.17x10^14 Hz) * 3x10^8 m/s
Velocity ≈ 2.94x10^3 m/s