Radiation from the Sun for Middle School Science

Feb 21

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Radiation from the sun is a fancy term for sunlight. Sunlight is made up of different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Humans can only see the visible light part of the electromagnetic spectrum, but we feel the effects of the other wavelengths.

If you would like a copy of the picture book, you can get it along with the reading passage, flashcards, and comprehension activities at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Radiation from the Sun

What is Radiation from the Sun?

Radiation from the Sun is called sunlight. Sunlight is made up of different wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.

The electromagnetic spectrum is made up of different waves, including gamma rays, x-rays, infrared rays, microwaves, and radio waves. About 99% of the electromagnetic waves from the Sun are UV rays, visible light, and infrared rays.

Visible light is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum we can see. When combined, the wavelengths of visible light form white light, but each wavelength is a different color, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. We can see the separation of the colors when light shines through a prism or in a rainbow.

Electromagnetic radiation includes both thermal and light energy. Light energy is the only type of energy humans can see. In fact, we couldn't see anything without it. Thermal energy is the energy of atoms and molecules vibrating. The faster an atom vibrates, the more thermal energy it has and the warmer it feels. Heat is the transfer of thermal energy from one object to another. The waves that make up electromagnetic radiation have so much energy that they make atoms vibrate when they touch them. As a result, sunlight warms everything it touches.

A frequency is how many waves pass a given point in one second. The higher a wave's frequency, the more energy it has. Gamma rays and x-rays have so much energy that they make atoms and molecules vibrate until electrons fall off atoms and molecules rip apart. In living things, these changes lead to mutations in DNA and cancer.

UV rays have a higher frequency than visible light, so they can also harm people. Luckily, the UV rays with the most energy, UVC rays, are blocked by the ozone layer in Earth's atmosphere. People can protect themselves from UVA and UVB rays by wearing sunscreen and staying inside during the afternoon when the Sun's radiation is the strongest.

Electromagnetic radiation travels really fast. In fact, it travels at the speed of light or 186,282 miles per second. Even traveling that fast, electromagnetic radiation takes eight minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth and over four hours to reach Neptune. The electromagnetic radiation from other stars takes even longer to reach Earth. Some stars are so far away that by the time we see them on Earth, they have already burned out.