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To: Cboldt
Correct. But the energy is different based on the (perceived/experienced) wavelength.

That is true.

But wouldn't the higher energy "blue" cosmic rays be offset by their lower energy "red" counterparts (the ones you are running away from) with it all averaging out to same thing you would see at zero velocity. This would depend on the source of course. I'm assuming uniformity in three dimensions. You may be talking about cosmic rays from the sun or some known source. Well that would be different. In that case I would agree with you.

It still seems to me that if the source of the cosmic rays is not known and the incoming rays are independent of angle then you should not be able to make any measurement on these rays that would tell you anything about your velocity. If the energy of the rays in the forward direction is higher than the rays coming in from your rear then a measurement of this energy would tell you what your absolute velocity is. Except that there is no absolute velocity. Of course if you knew the source of the cosmic rays then you could obviously make a measurement of your relative velocity with respect to that source.

This relativity stuff is really difficult.

101 posted on 08/01/2005 3:20:05 PM PDT by InterceptPoint
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To: InterceptPoint
But wouldn't the higher energy "blue" cosmic rays be offset by their lower energy "red" counterparts ...

I mistated the nature of cosmic rays. They are not massless photons, they are particles.

So at that, a person in space is more exposed than a person under the blankets of magnetism and atmosphere that cover earth. I suspect velocity relative to earth is an inconsequential variable in calculating exposure to cosmic radiation.

103 posted on 08/01/2005 3:25:50 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: InterceptPoint
If we were the only thing moving, and all of the sources were stationary, we'd be able to see a doppler shift in one direction...but the sources are most probably moving too, so the ones on one side are moving away from us slightly faster than we are moving towards them, and the ones "following", are probably moving towards us slightly slower than we are moving away from them.

thus, in the first case, they are being emitted at a lower frequency towards us, and we are hitting them at speed, raising the apparent frequency from its lower frequency. In the second case, they are being emitted at higher frequency, and we are pulling away, which lowers the freqency...thus, in a universe where both the emitter and receiver are moving, the results are rather ambiguous.

155 posted on 08/02/2005 4:29:40 PM PDT by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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