Search results
slideserve.com
- Light waves are similar, but while mechanical waves cause oscillations in matter, light waves consist of electric and magnetic fields oscillating perpendicular to each other. Mechanical waves need matter in order to propagate, but light waves can travel through completely empty space as well as through matter.
webbtelescope.org/contents/articles/spectroscopy-101--light-and-matter
May 19, 2016 · Basically, traveling at incredible speeds (299 792 458 m/s) and at different wavelengths, depending on its energy. It also behaves as both a wave and a particle, able to propagate...
Jul 7, 2021 · What are light and matter and how do they interact with each other? How is it possible to figure out such detailed information about materials on Earth and in space based only on color? Spectroscopy works because light and matter interact with each other in very specific and predictable ways.
Feb 18, 2024 · One of the most intriguing questions surrounding light is why it can travel through space. To unravel this mystery, we must delve into the realm of physics and explore the fundamental principles that govern the behavior of light. At its core, light is an electromagnetic wave.
As the light from the universe’s most distant galaxies travels through space, it’s stretched by the expansion of space. By the time the light reaches Earth, that stretching process has transformed short wavelengths of visible and ultraviolet light into the longer wavelengths of infrared light.
- Reflection. Reflection is when incident light (incoming light) hits an object and bounces off. Very smooth surfaces such as mirrors reflect almost all incident light.
- Absorption. Absorption occurs when photons from incident light hit atoms and molecules and cause them to vibrate. The more an object's molecules move and vibrate, the hotter it becomes.
- Diffraction. Diffraction is the bending and spreading of waves around an obstacle. It is most pronounced when a light wave strikes an object with a size comparable to its own wavelength.
- Scatter. Scattering occurs when light bounces off an object in a variety of directions. The amount of scattering that takes place depends on the wavelength of the light and the size and structure of the object.
(a) Light reaches the upper atmosphere of Earth, traveling through empty space directly from the source. (b) Light can reach a person by traveling through media like air and glass. (c) Light can also reflect from an object like a mirror.
Jul 5, 2024 · Stars, galaxies, dust clouds, exoplanets: all of these emit or reflect or absorb light, creating signals that travel across space for incredible distances to be detected here on Earth.
