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From: markb@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: Accelerating elevator
Message-ID: <3422@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Nov-86 19:32:24 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.3422
Posted: Thu Nov 13 19:32:24 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Nov-86 06:05:35 EST
References: <1388@trwrb.UUCP> <546@mcgill-vision.UUCP> <1167@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Reply-To: markb@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar)
Organization: System Development Corporation R&D, Santa Monica
Lines: 19

In article <1167@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> myers@hobiecat.UUCP (Bob Myers) writes:
>In article <546@mcgill-vision.UUCP> (der Mouse) writes:
>>For "the universe", picky theorists may substitute, say, the background
>>black-body radiation (a suspiciously absolute frame of reference, if
>>you ask me!).
>Hey, here's a fairly interesting question! What happens to the background
>black-body radiation when you start moving faster? Obviously, it gets
>doppler shifted.  What does the distribution of radiation with wavelength
>look like? Is it still a black-body curve?
The background black-body radiation almost defines a privileged reference
frame.  You can almost define Absolute Rest as meaning there is no
observed doppler shift in the background radiation.  In fact, there is an
observed doppler shift in the background radiation as seen from earth.
This has been used to get a fairly good estimate of the real velocity
of the earth, sun, milky way, etc. with respect to the rest of the universe
(the so called fixed stars).

Mark Biggar
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,akgua,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!markb