Traveling towards galaxies at near light-speed affects how we see their light due to the Doppler effect. This effect, which can change the color of light based on relative motion, would cause galaxies we’re approaching to appear bluer. This change to a bluer hue is called “blueshift.”
Here’s why: Light, like sound, travels in waves. Moving quickly towards these light waves compresses them, making them appear bluer to us. Conversely, if we were moving away from the galaxies, they would appear “redder,” which is called “redshift.”
This effect is not particularly visible with light on Earth, however, ambulance sirens serve as a great example. When an ambulance is approaching you, its sirens keeps getting shriller. This is because the sound waves are compressed at the front, increasing their frequency. The opposite happens when the ambulance moves past— the sound dampens.
Although the theories about how cool a color shifting galaxy will be as we move towards it can fuel our imagination, we might only be able to make out a bright spot ahead of us while travelling at near-light speed. The faster we go, everything around will get cloaked in darkness, and our vision will narrow down to what’s up front.
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