ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Redshift conjecture

Okay kiddo, imagine you and your friends are playing tag in a big room. Now, pretend you have a special ball that can change colors depending on how fast you throw it. If you throw the ball really fast, it turns red. But if you throw it slow, it stays green.

Now, let's imagine your friend is standing really far away from you in the room. If you throw the ball really fast towards your friend, it will turn red. This is because the ball is moving really fast and its color changes because of something called the Doppler Effect.

Now, scientists have noticed that this same thing happens with stars and galaxies in space. When a star or galaxy is moving really quickly away from us, its light changes color to something we call "redshift." This happens because the light waves get stretched out as they move away from us.

From observing the redshift of stars and galaxies, scientists have come up with a theory called the "redshift conjecture." This theory suggests that the universe is expanding and that everything in it is moving away from everything else. Just like your friend in the room moving away from you when you threw the ball really fast.

So, in short, the redshift conjecture is a theory scientists have come up with by observing how light from stars and galaxies changes color as they move away from us. This theory suggests the universe is expanding and everything in it is moving away from everything else.