In astronomy, a redshift survey is a survey of a section of the sky to measure the redshift of astronomical objects. Using Hubble's law, the redshift can be used to calculate the distance of an object from Earth. By combining redshift with angular position data, a redshift survey maps the 3D distribution of matter within a field of the sky. These observations are used to measure properties of the large scale structure of the universe. The Great Wall, a vast conglomeration of galaxies over 500 million light-years wide, provides a dramatic example of a large-scale structure that redshift surveys can detect.
The most notable redshift surveys are the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Last updated: 05-11-2005 01:28:33