Related papers: Vesto Slipher and the First Galaxy Redshifts
We carry out a joint analysis of redshift-space distortions and galaxy-galaxy lensing, with the aim of measuring the growth rate of structure; this is a key quantity for understanding the nature of gravity on cosmological scales and…
Recent observations of distant supernovae imply, in defiance of expectations, that the universe growth is accelerating, contrary to what has always been assumed that the expansion is slowing down due to gravity. In this paper a…
We investigate the distance-redshift relation in the simple void model. As discussed by Moffat and Tatarski, if the observer stays at the center of the void, the observed Hubble parameter is not so different from the background Hubble…
We use the dynamics of a galaxy, set up initially at a constant proper distance from an observer, to derive and illustrate two counter-intuitive general relativistic results. Although the galaxy does gradually join the expansion of the…
We present the first determination of the pairwise velocity dispersion (PVD) for galaxies in different luminosity intervals using the final release of the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS). We have discovered quite…
General Relativity explains with precision the anomalous advance of the perihelion of Mercury, discovered by Le Verrier in 1859. Otherwise, diverse post-Newtonian proposals trying to solve this anomaly, introduce mathematical potentials…
We present a new reconstruction of the mass density and the peculiar velocity fields in the nearby universe using recent measurements of Tully-Fisher distances for a sample of late spirals. We find significant differences between our…
We forecast the detectability of the Doppler magnification dipole with a joint analysis of galaxy spectroscopic redshifts and size measurements. The Doppler magnification arises from an apparent size variation caused by galaxies' peculiar…
It is widely written and believed that Edwin Hubble introduced the terms `early' and `late types' to suggest an evolutionary sequence for galaxies. This is incorrect. Hubble took these terms from spectral classification of stars to signify…
Ortiz and Ibarra-Castor (2024) have presented a "Generalized redshift formula" taking account of only energy conservation considerations. Contrary to their claim, we emphasize to invoke both energy and momentum considerations in order to…
We take a fresh look at the determination of distances and velocities of neutron stars. The conversion of a parallax measurement into a distance, or distance probability distribution, has led to a debate quite similar to the one involving…
Estimates of galaxy distances based on indicators that are independent of cosmological redshift are fundamental to astrophysics. Researchers use them to establish the extragalactic distance scale, to underpin estimates of the Hubble…
We consider scalar-tensor theories of gravity in an accelerating universe. The equations for the background evolution and the perturbations are given in full generality for any parametrization of the Lagrangian, and we stress that apparent…
An observer stationary with respect to comoving coordinates of the expanding universe should find the redshift distribution to be isotropic. However, a peculiar motion of the observer would introduce a dipole anisotropy in the observed…
Gravitational waves from inspiraling compact binaries are known to be an excellent absolute distance indicator, yet it is unclear whether electromagnetic counterparts of these events are securely identified for measuring their redshifts,…
In this paper R-band photometric and velocity dispersion measurements for a sample of 452 elliptical and S0 galaxies in 28 clusters are used to construct a template D_n-sigma relation. This template relation is constructed by combining the…
Attempts to measure extragalactic distances over the last 90 years are briefly described. It follows a short history of the discovery of the expansion of space. Reasons are discussed for the decrease of the Hubble constant from Ho~500…
The discovery of cosmic acceleration has raised the intriguing possibility that we are witnessing the first breakdown of General Relativity on cosmological scales. In this article I will briefly review current attempts to construct a…
With the next generation of big telescopes such as the ELT and SKA it might become possible to measure changes in the expansion rate of the Universe in real time by measuring the change of the redshifts of a large number of galaxies over a…
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) provides data on several hundred thousand galaxies. Precise location of these galaxies in the sky, along with information about their luminosities and line-of-sight (Doppler) velocities allows one to…