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Astronomy & Physicsmedium
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What physical phenomenon causes distant galaxies observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to appear redshifted, and how is cosmological redshift (z) defined?
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Astronomy & Physicsmedium
Answer Card
Cosmological redshift occurs because space itself is expanding as photons travel across the universe, stretching their wavelengths toward the longer, redder end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Redshift is quantified as z = (λ_observed - λ_emitted) / λ_emitted, where higher z corresponds to earlier epochs in cosmic history (such as galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0 at z ≈ 14.32, observed less than 300 million years after the Big Bang).
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