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jackiefrost
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An April 18 newscientist.com article, http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18775-mysterious-radio-waves-emitted-from-nearby-galaxy.html" reports recent observations of a radio source in M82 with an apparent horizontal motion of 4x speed of light.
Could someone comment on what particular relativistic effects would cause an "optical illusion" of superluminal velocities. What specific empirical measurements are they referring to that would indicate apparent superluminal velocities?Yet it does seem to be moving – and fast: its apparent sideways velocity is four times the speed of light. Such apparent "superluminal" motion has been seen before in high-speed jets of material squirted out by some black holes. The stuff in these jets is moving towards us at a slight angle and traveling at a fair fraction of the speed of light, and the effects of relativity produce a kind of optical illusion that makes the motion appear superluminal.
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