Q: What are the wavelengths of the H-beta and H-alpha lines in this galaxy's spectrum? What is the shift in wavelength for each line from the rest wavelength? How fast is this galaxy moving? In which direction? line rest galaxy shift velocity ----------------------------------------------------------------------- H-alpha 656 nm 721 nm 65 nm 0.1 c = 30,000 km/s H-beta 486 nm 535 nm 49 nm 0.1 c = 30,000 km/s ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Because the observed wavelengths are longer than the rest wavelengths, the galaxy is moving away from us. Notice that even though the shift in nm is different for the two lines, the _fractional_ shift shift in wavelength fractional shift = --------------------- rest wavelength is the same.