Electromagnetic Spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is just a name that scientists give a bunch of types of radiation when they want to talk about them as a group. Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes, visible that comes from a lamp in your house and radio waves that come from a radio station are two types of electromagnetic radiation. Other examples of EM radiation are microwaves, infrared and ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-rays. Hotter, more energetic objects and events create higher energy radiation than cool objects. Only extremely hot objects or particles moving at very high velocities can create high-energy radiation like X-rays and gamma-rays.
Here are the different types of radiation in the EM spectrum, in order from lowest energy to highest:
Radio: This is the same kind of energy that radio stations emit into the air for your boom box to capture, but radio waves are also emitted by other things ... such as stars and gases in space.
Microwaves: Microwaves in space are used by astronomers to learn about the structure of nearby galaxies, and our own Milky Way. Infrared: We often think of this as being the same thing as 'heat', because it makes our skin feel warm. In space, IR light maps the dust between stars.
Visible: Visible radiation is emitted by everything from fireflies to light bulbs to stars ... also by fast-moving particles hitting other particles.
Ultraviolet: We know that the Sun is a source of ultraviolet (or UV) radiation, because it is the UV rays that cause our skin to burn. Stars and other "hot" objects in space emit UV radiation. X-rays: Your doctor uses them to look at your bones and your dentist to look at your teeth. Hot gases in the Universe also emit X-rays. Gamma-rays: Radioactive materials (some natural and others made by man in things like nuclear power plants) can emit gamma-rays. Big particle accelerators that scientists use to help them understand what
The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is just a name that scientists give a bunch of types of radiation when they want to talk about them as a group. Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes, visible that comes from a lamp in your house and radio waves that come from a radio station are two types of electromagnetic radiation. Other examples of EM radiation are microwaves, infrared and ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-rays. Hotter, more energetic objects and events create higher energy radiation than cool objects. Only extremely hot objects or particles moving at very high velocities can create high-energy radiation like X-rays and gamma-rays.
Here are the different types of radiation in the EM spectrum, in order from lowest energy to highest:
Radio: This is the same kind of energy that radio stations emit into the air for your boom box to capture, but radio waves are also emitted by other things ... such as stars and gases in space.
Microwaves: Microwaves in space are used by astronomers to learn about the structure of nearby galaxies, and our own Milky Way. Infrared: We often think of this as being the same thing as 'heat', because it makes our skin feel warm. In space, IR light maps the dust between stars.
Visible: Visible radiation is emitted by everything from fireflies to light bulbs to stars ... also by fast-moving particles hitting other particles.
Ultraviolet: We know that the Sun is a source of ultraviolet (or UV) radiation, because it is the UV rays that cause our skin to burn. Stars and other "hot" objects in space emit UV radiation. X-rays: Your doctor uses them to look at your bones and your dentist to look at your teeth. Hot gases in the Universe also emit X-rays. Gamma-rays: Radioactive materials (some natural and others made by man in things like nuclear power plants) can emit gamma-rays. Big particle accelerators that scientists use to help them understand what