Brunelleschi's Dome

Letters
Blueshifted Quasars?
To the Editor:
David Cherry's article, "Redshifts
and the Spirit of Scientific Inquiry" in
the May-June 1989 issue was outstanding
20th century science. However, to
be good 21st century science it would
also have to include the few quasars
that have blueshifts. We used to hear
about them all the time, but not
anymore. . . .
JohnW. Ecklin
Alexandria, Va.
The Author Replies
I am glad you mention them. Today,
Charles Head (University of New Orleans)
and Martha Moore-Head
(NASA), who are spectroscopists, argue
that there are quasars with blueshifts,
but that their spectra are being
misinterpreted in such a way that they
appear to be highly redshifted.
They say that in certain quasar spectra,
lines that are being identified as
Lyman-alpha (that is, associated with
the ground state of the hydrogen
atom), and nitrogen V, appear instead
to be complexes of certain blueshifted
Fraunhofer lines along with other iron,
copper, and titanium lines. They base
their conclusions on computerized
matches of emission lines and quasar
emission profile modeling of E.M. Burbidge,
etal.
The Heads write: "Since blueshifted
lines from the iron-group appear to
dominate the visible emission spectra
of a significant number of quasars in
the vicinity of the Hercules Cluster of
galaxies, the quasars probably contain
a lot of material from advanced stages
of stellar nucleosynthesis. One attractive
possibility is that the quasars are
old galactic nuclei surrounded by
"huge clouds of ejecta from many previous
supernovae. . . . Advanced age
and motion toward the Earth both conflict
with the Big Bang hypothesis."
Papers embodying this work are
probably in print by now. This quotation
is from two abstracts in the Bulletin
of the American Physical Society,
Jan. 1988 (33:1, p. 72).
In interpreting their findings, the
Heads draw upon their knowledge of
how relativistic speeds affect the redshift-blueshift
phenomenon. Motion
transverse to the line of sight produces
a non-Doppler redshift by virtue of
time dilation. A star approaching the
observer may show a redshift unless
the transverse component of its mo
tion is exactly zero.
This is where the fun really begins.
The Heads conclude that given the
omnipresence of angular momentum
in the universe, "large redshifts would
strongly dominate blueshifts even
without radial expansion."
But there is more. It's in The
Physics Teacher, Feb. 1988 ("Redshifts
with Obliquely Approaching Light
Sources," pp. 102-104).
Nuclear Power
Saves Lives
To the Editor:
I'm glad to see your magazine. It re
minds me of the decade-ago TV pro
gram with Walter Cronkite by simila
name. . . .
I note in passing your editorial hyp<
[March-April 1989, p. 2]. The reference
to 115 million people who'd be or
Earth yet had we nuclear power mon
abundantly neglects the 95 millior
more who'd (presumably then) be
here yet had we nuclear power mon <
abundantly a decade ago, and by in
duction on successive replacements,
etc. . . .
Raymond Kenneth Petr
Kailua, Hawa
Gift Subscriptions
Appreciated
To the Editor:
I'd like to thank you for the gift sul i
scription to 21st Century Science &
Technology. I recently learned that rr y
periodical budget for academic ye \r
1989-90 will be cut 67 percent. Havir g
the subscription for 21st Century
means that much more in light of such
grim news.
Since the sciences and technological
fields are those that change most
rapidly, having periodicals is a necessity
to stay abreast and for research
purposes. . . .
Shary A. Fukuhara
North Monterey High School
Castroville, Calif.
The Editor Replies
We are happy to arrange gift subscriptions
for schools and colleges.
Potential donors as well as potential
recipients should write to 27st Century,
attention Gift Department.
21 st CENTURY
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Coming in the next issue
"How Space
Technology
Benefits Life on Earth"
LETTERS
21stCENTLRY July-August 1989