What Is Light?

 Did you know that the sun is the greatest source of light for our planet, Earth? But what is light? Why is it so important?

Hot gases of the sun give off both light and heat energy. Light carries energy, with the long wavelengths carrying the least and the short wavelengths carrying the most. When you think of something with lots of energy, what comes to mind? Do you think of something fast like a race car?

Do you think of something with great force like a very strong wind knocking down a tree?

Believe it or not, light can be many times more energetic than a car or the wind.

 

The sun is the greatest source of light for Earth.

Light travels at 186,000 miles every second in a vacuum. At that speed, light can go around Earth more than seven times every second! No human-made machine can go that fast—not even a jet plane or rocket!

One way that light travels, including light from the sun, is in the form of waves. Scientists can measure how long light waves are. Waves can be different sizes—some are long and some are short. Some light waves are visible and some are invisible. Whether you can see light or not depends on the length of the wave. The longest wavelength of visible light is seen as red and the shortest wavelength is violet. Short wavelengths carry the most energy.

 

One way light from the sun travels is in waves. Waves can be different sizes. Short wavelengths, like those at the far right, carry the most energy.

Comprehension Questions

1. The sun gives off heat energy. What other kind of energy does the sun give off? 

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2. In what form does light travel? 

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3. How does light's wavelength affect what you see? 

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4. What is the main idea of this text? 

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