One prediction for the appearance of the starfield from a moving reference frame has been circulated widely despite physically objectionable features. We reexamine the physical basis for this effect. To the well‐known aberation and Doppler effects we add the transformation of intensity of light upon a change of reference frame. We integrate the transformed spectrum of a star, represented as a blackbody, over the response function of the human eye. We present a one‐parameter function to represent the dependence of the apparent visual magnitude of different stars upon Doppler factor. We conclude with a sequence of computer‐generated figures to show the appearance of Earth’s starfield at various velocities. A ’’starbow’’ does not appear.
This content is only available via PDF.
© 1979 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1979
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to the American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.