A On this day in physics: 19 February 1473- Happy Birthday to Nicholas Copernicus, astronomer extraordinaire who was certainly not the first to discover, but quite probably the impetus for the scientific revolution triggered by his publication which posited that the earth was not the center of the universe, but rather than the Earth orbits the sun. He published it while on his death bed, so that he would not be threatened for "heresy" during his lifetime.
Word of the day- Blueshift- Is a type of doppler shift which occurs with cosmic light. Like yesterday's word of the day, the same idea applies with light moving towards an observer. When light moves away from the observer, the wavelength gets longer, or shifts to the red side of the spectrum. When light moves closer, the wavelength gets shorter, this shifting towards the blue end of the spectrum. It does not necessarily indicate that blue light is emitted.
Quote of the Day: "The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous." -Carl Sagan
Keywords: Blueshift, Light, Doppler, Shift, Relativity
