DON'T BE THE LAST TO HEAR ABOUT BLAST
Blast Science
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Ask a Scientist
  • Brad Gross Memorial Page

What is the difference between regular light and infrared light?         Milo, age 7

10/2/2014

1 Comment

 
Answered by Mo Gibson, Laser Scientist

Superbly simple question but requires a more complex answer.

Infrared (IR) is light. Light comes in many colours as we can see in rainbows which break white sunlight into all the different colours. Infrared is a colour that is dark, dark red... so dark that our eyes cannot see it but it is still there. In fact we can 'feel' infrared when we stand near a hot radiator and we feel warmth 'radiating' from the 'radiator'. 

All types of light is energy radiating away from objects and things around us and the colour and brightness of this light is mostly linked to how hot the object is. A simple experiment with a lightbulb shows us that when it is slowly lit up with a dimmer control, it starts to glow red, then orange, then yellow, then white while also getting brighter as you go ... if we could put more electricity into it to make it even hotter without meltiing the metal filament, then the bulb would glow blue with great energy and brightness... just like the hottest blue stars in the night sky.

Upon switching off the lightbulb, it is still hot to touch... this is the infrared that we can 'feel' but we cannot see.

The cooler a star glows the dimmer it will look and the more white-orange-red it appears for a given star size.

Our eyes only see a small bit of all the different colours of light that exists in the universe but we do see a lot of the colours of sunlight that travels from our sun through space and our thick atmosphere which acts like a big light filter, which is really handy and thanks to evolution of eyes over millions of years.

Infra red is just too dark red to see with our eyes, on the other side of the rainbow is ultraviolet that is so dark dark blue we just cant see it either. Snakes can feel infrared heat with their noses from warm animal bodies on a cold night to help them hunt and bees can see ultraviolet light reflecting of flower petals to help them find nectar to make tasty honey.
Picture
1 Comment
Lance link
3/7/2016 05:54:29 am

Very nice information. Thank for your sharing.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Please email us with your questions!!
    ask@blastscience.co.uk
    * Kids - ask an adult before you use their email

    * Please include your age!
    Picture

    VID 1: Do you love your job?

    VID 2: Can you come to my party?

    VID 3: What is your favourite experiment?

    Our team of Scientists...

    Picture
    Lydia Samuel  
    As Director
     of Blast Science and a Primary Science Teacher for more than 15 years, Lydia has answered unending questions about Science from hundreds of children for over a decade and has a wealth of Primary Science classroom experience. She has a particular passion for Wizard Science, Chocolate Science and all things Gross!
    Picture
    Tom Holloway
    ​is a Primary Science Teacher and Space Enthusiast. Alongside being a full time teacher he runs Star Gazing evenings, is a Science Advisor, has established a Darwin Garden in his school in Caterham and won Primary Science Teacher of the Year in 2013/14. Watch the video here!
    Picture
    Steve Evans
    ​has recently joined Blast Science as a performer after working for several years at Herstmonceux Observatory. He knows a huge amount about physics, chemistry, space and.... Star Wars! So can answer all your intergalactic questions..
    Picture
    Keita Lynch 
    has helped Sussex 'stay curious' by coordinating the Brighton Science Festival for three years.  She's passionate about sharing science in simple 
    and engaging ways; without all the big words. 
    Keita's also a keen supporter of campaigns 
    like Let Toys Be Toys that encourage toy makers and retailers to stop limiting children's imagination by branding things for 'girls' or 'boys'. Astronaut suits and dinosaurs for all!
    Picture
    Dr Sarah Newnham
    I am 26 and have a degree and PhD in biochemistry. I enjoy learning new things and have spent 7 years at university studying and experimenting with molecules and microorganisms. I mainly like to play with bacteria and get them to do new things and produce different chemicals.  I also enjoy helping with Science projects in schools and enthusing children about my subject.
    Picture
    Dr Matt Edwards 
    Dr Matt decided to become a doctor when he ran out  of his own scabs to pick. He used to work in Accident and Emergency in Brighton,  pulling broken bones back into place and sewing up cuts. He now works in Brisbane, Australia as a Family doctor. This involves cutting out lots of funny lumps and sticking his fingers in every hole that people have. In his time he has been covered in every body juice you can think of, and once juggled with three hearts. Ask him anything about bodies and Gross Science.
    Picture
    Jonathan Brown 
    (Engineer at Ricardo) Had a strange fascination with all things mechanical from an early age and would often spend time 'fixing' his Dad's car without telling his Dad first. Rarely did it end happily, so of course he decided to continue this into a career than now spans almost 2 decades of designing engines for big names the world over. Having studied Mechanical Engineering at university he has been working since at a world leading technology consultancy, principally creating models and simulations of engines big and small for everyone from McLaren to Volvo. These days you're as likely to find him on a ship or looking at a tidal turbine, but it's still engines that keep him running.
    Picture
    Ivan Teage
    Ivan is a experienced all-round scientist. He studied astrophysics after a childhood of being obsessed with going to the moon, and now works at the Natural History Museum in London using technology to explain Science to young and old audiences. Ivan is interested in the science of music and is keen to help people understand the natural world, how it works, and what it has to offer. He is looking forward to your questions about nature, space, music, sound & the meaning of life.
    Picture
    Alex Nicholls
    With A-levels in Pure Maths, Applied Maths, Physics and Chemistry he went to Uni to read Nuclear Physics, but in the end switched to Law. He nevertheless retained a great interest in Science and has an encyclopedic general knowledge about nearly everything. Alex is also the linchpin of the Blast Science props dept but helps out answering complicated questions about Science for light relief from complicated carpentry. 

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    April 2017
    September 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All
    Chemicals
    Explosions
    Life
    Space

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly