Q: How large would the shift in wavelength of the hydrogen Balmer alpha line be due this orbital motion? The rest wavelength of Balmer alpha is 656 nm. The maximum shift would be radial velocity shift = --------------- * (rest wavelength) speed of light 466 m/s = --------------- * (656 nm) 300,000,000 m/s = 0.0010 nm That's a small shift!