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Doppler Effect from a Moving Source

What you are seeing: a source moving at constant velocity vv to the right (cyan dot) emits a circular wavefront once per source-frame period T=1/fT = 1 / f. Each wavefront then expands at the wave speed cc. Because the source moves between emissions, the wavefronts cluster in front of the source and stretch behind it. The coloured bar along the source axis measures the wavelength directly: a short blue λfront=(cv)/f\lambda_\text{front} = (c - v)/f ahead and a long warm λback=(c+v)/f\lambda_\text{back} = (c + v)/f behind. The source loops: when it leaves the right edge it re-enters from the left and the pattern continues.

Pick any angle θ\theta from the velocity vector. A stationary observer there hears frequency fobs=f/(1(v/c)cosθ)f_\text{obs} = f / (1 - (v/c) \cos\theta). In front (θ=0\theta = 0) the frequency is blue-shifted by 1/(1v/c)1 / (1 - v/c); behind (θ=π\theta = \pi) red-shifted by 1/(1+v/c)1 / (1 + v/c); perpendicular (θ=π/2\theta = \pi / 2) it equals ff in the non-relativistic limit. Move the source-speed slider toward v/c=1v / c = 1 to see the front wavefronts pile up tightly.

Figure 1. Doppler effect for a uniformly moving source. Method: emission of a circular wavefront once per source-frame period, each expanding at speed c.
v / c0.50
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WHAT TO TRY

  • Push v/c toward 1: the wavefronts bunch up ahead of the source and stretch out behind, the blue-shifted front and red-shifted wake of the Doppler effect.
  • Drag the observer around the source: the received frequency runs from compressed ahead, through f = 1 at the side, to stretched behind, traced live on the bottom frequency-versus-angle curve.
  • The forward and backward shifts are not symmetric, lambda_front = c/f - v/f against lambda_back = c/f + v/f, an asymmetry that grows as the source nears the wave speed.