Can we expect stars to become visible only in infrared after a while?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the visibility of stars over time due to redshift effects as they move away from Earth. Participants explore whether stars will eventually become invisible in the visible spectrum and only detectable in infrared, particularly focusing on the implications for distant stars and galaxies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that as stars move further away, they may become invisible in visible light due to redshift, suggesting that only infrared detection may remain possible.
  • There is a question about the timeframe for when this might occur, with one participant asking for an order of magnitude estimate, speculating tens of billions to millions of billions of years.
  • Another participant notes that galaxies, except those in the local cluster, are moving away and will eventually redshift out of the observable universe, implying a long timescale for this process.
  • One participant references the cosmic microwave background and its significant redshift, relating it to the age of the universe and the distances involved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that redshift will affect the visibility of stars over time, but there is no consensus on the specific timeframe or the exact implications for visibility in infrared.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the uncertainty in the timescales discussed and the dependence on definitions of visibility and redshift. The discussion does not resolve the exact conditions under which stars will transition from visible to infrared detection.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in astrophysics, cosmology, and the long-term evolution of the universe may find this discussion relevant.

SpaceBear
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I wonder if some old stars will become invisible to our eyes after a while because of the redshift?
Since they get further away from earth, maybe we won't receive their radiation in visible light any more?
I'm talking about stars that are not obscured by any other objects or dust, which you don't have to detect them in infrared (IR).
If the answer is yes, then how long will it take for a star to be obscured to us because of the redshift? Say a star that is 5 billion years from us and getting further away each day.

thanks
 
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SpaceBear said:
I wonder if some old stars will become invisible to our eyes after a while because of the redshift?
Since they get further away from earth, maybe we won't receive their radiation in visible light any more?
I'm talking about stars that are not obscured by any other objects, where you don't have to detect them in infrared (IR).
If the answer is yes, then how long will it take for a star to be obscured to us because of the redshift? Say a star that is 5 billion years from us and getting further away each day.

thanks

Stars are contained in galaxies. All of the galaxies in the universe, except those in the local cluster of galaxies, are moving away from us and eventually will be outside of the Earth's observable universe and yes they will redshift as they go. This will take a LONG time. Those currently at the edge of the observable universe are already significantly redshifted.
 
phinds said:
This will take a LONG time.
How long?
I mean, in the order of magnitude.
tens of billions of years or maybe millions of billions of years?

When can we expect to see the fist galaxy that completely redshifted in infrared?
 
Considering the observable universe is 47 billion years in radius and we can see objects at extreme redshift I would say that describes your order of magnitude. in 10's of billions.

The cosmic microwave background has a redshift of z=1089, corresponding to an age of approximately 379,000 years after the Big Bang and a comoving distance of more than 46 billion light years

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift

in a section on this page it will describe various objects as the earliest detected such as the highest redhift to a galaxy
 
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