Weather in Space

The Sun

What is the solar spectrum?

The solar spectrum is the spectrum of light that includes wavelengths both visible and invisible to the human eye. When diverted through a prism, this white light separates into the familiar rainbow spectrum of colors, ranging from violet to red. Temperature is affected by the longer-wavelength spectrum (red through invisible infrared). About 50 percent of the Sun’s spectrum emerges as wavelengths at the infrared level, and 10 percent are in the ultraviolet range.