GPO

A highly graphic and visually arresting publication featuring a pictorial depiction of the electromagnetic spectrum.  When you tune your radio, watch TV, send a text message, or pop popcorn in a microwave oven, you are using electromagnetic energy. You depend on this energy every hour of every day. Without it, the world you know could not exist. Electromagnetic energy travels in waves and spans a broad spectrum from very long radio waves to very short gamma rays. The human eye can only detect only a small portion of this spectrum called visible light. A radio detects a different portion of the spectrum, and an x ray machine uses yet another portion. NASA scientific instruments use the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum to study the Earth, the solar system, and the universe beyond.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave

Wave Behaviors Visualization:

From Energy to Image

Radio Waves

Microwaves

Infrared Waves

Reflected Near Infrared Waves

Visible Light

Ultraviolet Waves

X-Rays

Gamma Rays

The Earth

Budget

Keywords: energy; electromagnetic energy, photons; electrons; Earth's atmosphere; electromagnetic fields; electromagnetic radiation; light; electromagnetic illumination; magnetism; reflection; solar eclipse; scientists; heat; radio waves; gamma;  satellites; NASA; National Aerounautics and Space Administration; science; solar system; sun; planets; orbits; global patterns; climate; space exploration; science exploration; science observation; planetary science; physics; magnetism; waves and wave mechanics;