Light the Way
illustration of a space cop holding sign that says Universal Speed Limit 300 km/sec and 186,000 mi/sec

What's the fastest thing in the universe ? If you said light, you're right! It takes us about 6 hours to fly from New York to California. Light can go there — and back — in 1/30 of a second! 

There's more to light than meets the eye!

It is a special kind of energy, called electromagnetic radiation, and it travels in waves.

diagram showing wavelengths for gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet tradition, infrared radiation, microwaves, and radio waves

 

Visible light waves come in different sizes: short ones look blue and long ones look red. All other electromagnetic radiation is invisible to our eyes — like the very long waves that can carry signals to radios.

Whatever the size, you won't find anything that goes faster than light. Why not? Because the closer you get to the speed of light, the more energy you need to accelerate! Einstein showed this in his theory of special relativity.

Credits

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We see with our eyes, but our brains do most of the work. Watch what happens when light bounces off an object and enters your eye. 

How enlightened are you about the subject of light? Play this trivia game to find out!
Credits:

Photos: Michael Shara: courtesy of Denis Finnin, AMNH; Illustrations: Equation Invasion: Tony Persiani; Everyday Einstein: Daryll Collins; Light the Way: Space cop: Daniel Guidera; Electromagnetic Spectrum: Eric Hamilton