Face-on frequency shift of a circular Schwarzschild source (${\nu }_{\infty }/{\nu }_{\mathrm{em}}=\sqrt{1-3GM/(c^{2}r)}$)

A source on a timelike circular Schwarzschild geodesic at radius $r>3GM/c^2$ emits light to a static observer at infinity on the orbital symmetry axis. Such a ray has zero conserved axial angular momentum. The locally measured photon energy is the contraction of its four-momentum with the observer's four-velocity. Comparing the emitter with the observer at infinity therefore gives ${\nu }_{\mathrm{em}}=U^t{\nu }_{\infty }$, where $U^t=[1-3GM/(c^{2}r){]}^{-1/2}$, proving the formula.

Equivalently the gravitational redshift factor $\sqrt{1-2GM/(c^{2}r)}$ multiplies the transverse Doppler effect factor $1/\gamma$ measured by a local static observer. For $R_S=2GM/c^2\ll r$,The coefficient contains both gravitational and orbital time dilation. It assumes an observer at infinity on the symmetry axis; other viewing directions generally introduce a first-order longitudinal Doppler effect.