Example (II):
•
Take
l
0
of the H
a
(Balmer alpha) line:
l
l
0
= 656 nm
l
Assume, we observe a star’s spectrum
with the H
a
line at
l
= 658 nm. Then,
l
Dl
= 2 nm.
l
We find
Dl/l
0
= 0.003 = 3*10
-3
l
Thus,
l
v
r
/c = 0.003,
l
or
l
v
r
= 0.003*300,000 km/s = 900 km/s.
l
The line is
red shifted
, so the star is receding
from us with a radial velocity of 900 km/s.
0