Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains the Electromagnetic Spectrum

What are the different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum? On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice break down visible light, the different wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum, and the discoveries that uncovered it.
Neil explains a revelation he had about potatoes and how its sort of like the electromagnetic spectrum. Is everything light? We discuss how ultraviolet got its name, what frequency means, and how sunscreen works. Is there anything beyond gamma rays? How long is a microwave? How did we used to think about the light spectrum? Learn about William Herschel and his discovery of infrared light in 1800. How did he do it before detection technology? We explore all that starting from…potatoes?
Get the NEW Cosmic Queries book (5/5 ⭐s on Amazon!): amzn.to/3dYIEQF
Support us on Patreon: / startalkradio
FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk:
Twitter: / startalkradio
Facebook: / startalk
Instagram: / startalk
About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
#StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson
0:00 - Introduction
2:16 - Different Forms Of Light
3:16 - Ultraviolet Light
4:50 - X-Rays
5:56 - Gamma Rays
7:01 - Infrared
8:06 - Microwaves
8:38 - Radiowaves
9:54 - The Invisible Electromagnetic Spectrum
10:21 - How William Herschel Discovered Infrared Light
12:24 - The Electromagnetic Spectrum
13:18 - Closing Notes

[@StarTalk]

What mysteries lie in the undiscovered wavelengths of light?

[@KateSuhrgirlPlays]

Out curiosity has anyone tried recreating that experiment with 2 control thermometers on either end of the colors and see if it is different on Ultra violet end than it is from the infra red end?

[@charlesbrightman4237]

"What mysteries lie in the undiscovered wavelengths of light?" GRAVITY: (copy and paste from my files): Here is the test for the 'gravity' portion of my TOE idea. I do not have the necessary resources to do the test but maybe you or someone else reading this does, will do the test, then tell the world what is found out either way. a. Imagine a 12 hour clock. b. Put a magnetic field across from the 3 to 9 o'clock positions. c. Put an electric field across from the 6 to 12 o'clock positions. (The magnetic field and electric field would be 90 degrees to each other and should be polarized so as to complement each other.) d. Direct a high powered laser through the center of the clock at 90 degrees to the em fields. e. Do this with the em fields on and off. (The em fields could be varied in size, strength, density and depth. The intent would be to energy frequency match the laser and em fields for optimal results, cancelling out the em modalities of the laser, thereby leaving behind the gravity modality.) f. Look for any gravitational / anti-gravitational effects. (Including the utilization of ferro cells so as to be able to actually see the energy field movements.) (And note: if done right, it's possible a mini gravitational black hole might form. Be ready for it. In addition, it's possible a neutrino might be formed before the black hole stage, the neutrino being a substance with a very high gravitational modality with very low 'em' modalities.) (An alternative to the above would be to direct 3 high powered lasers, or a single high powered laser split into 3 beams, each adjustable to achieve the above set up, all focused upon a single point in space.) 'If' effects are noted, 'then' further research could be done. 'If' effects are not noted, 'then' my latest TOE idea is wrong. But still, we would know what 'gravity' was not, which is still something in the scientific world. This test can speak for itself. It will either be true, partly true, or not true at all. It will either show what gravity truly is, might be, or is not. Science still wins either way and moves forward. * And note: Whether my gravity test or another's, a gravitational black hole would have to be formed to prove the concept as being really true. A gravitational black hole that 'if' self fed itself, could literally wipe out this Earth and all on it, possibly this solar system, possibly put a black hole in this section of our galaxy, and potentially even causing a ripple effect in this galaxy and surrounding universe. But hey, if it does, no worries. Nobody would be left to prosecute those who did so. (Possibly famous last words: "Hey, it worked. Ooooppppssss.................) But as NASA has already proven that low gravity conditions over a prolonged period of time is harmful to the human species, and large rotating space ships won't really work for space bases on planets and moons, those space bases probably being needed somewhere along the way out of this solar system and galaxy, we need to figure out what gravity truly is and see if we can generate artificial gravity so as to have smaller space ships and proper gravity conditions for space bases on planets and moons. Otherwise, at least all human life will most probably die and go extinct one day. Currently, no exceptions. ** Added note: Just trying to save at least 1 single species from this Earth to exist beyond this Earth so that life itself from this Earth has continued meaning and purpose to. Gives me something to do while I exist, otherwise, what is it all and everything for? Even if my TOE idea were correct, but if it did not help species survive beyond this Earth, what good would it ultimately be? So, are you feeling lucky? Doing nothing and at least the entire human species eventually dies and goes extinct with a high degree of certainty. Doing a gravity test, (mine and/or another's), and there is at least a slim chance of literally wiping out this entire Earth and all on it, and possibly more. Do you and other's truly want me to prove my TOE idea as being really true? (Since all of life itself is ultimately meaningless in the grand of scheme of things anyway, do the gravity test and see what occurs?)

[@charlesbrightman4237]

'IF' my latest TOE idea is really true, (and I fully acknowledge the 'if' at this time), that the pulsating, swirling 'gem' photon is the energy unit of this universe that makes up everything in existence in this universe, and what is called 'gravity' is a part of what is currently recognized as the 'em' photon, the 'gravity' modality acting 90 degrees from the 'em' modalities, which act 90 degrees to each other, then the oscillation of these 3 interacting modalities of the energy unit would be as follows: Gravity: Maximum in one direction, Neutral, Maximum in the other direction; Electrical: Maximum in one direction, Neutral, Maximum in the other direction; Magnetic: Maximum in one direction, Neutral, Maximum in the other direction. Then: 1 singular energy unit, with 3 different modalities, with 6 maximum most reactive positions, with 9 total basic reactive positions (neutrals included). Hence 1, 3, 6, 9 being very prominent numbers in this universe and why mathematics even works in this universe. (And possibly '0', zero, as possibly neutrals are against other neutrals, even if only briefly, for no flow of energy, hence the number system that we currently have. This would also be the maximum potential energy point or as some might call it, the 'zero point energy point'.). And also how possibly mathematical constants exist in this universe as well. * Note also: Nobody as of yet has been able to show me how numbers and mathematical constants can exist and do what they do in this universe from the Standard Model of Particle Physics (SMPP). While the SMPP has it's place, I believe we need to move beyond the SMPP to get closer to real reality.

[@chrisheist652]

There's probably all sorts of undiscovered 4d phenomena to find in there. On another note, I figured out what the great filter is, i.e. I solved the Fermi Paradox. A few videos on my channel explain it. Figured you guys might wanna know, now that Neil's really into Don't Look Up 'n all. The situation's way worse than an asteroid.

[@54drolls]

@@Blarblarb2468 you have to be safe babe r Reed s

[@RohanKSharma]

Man he makes me want to go back to books! I wish I had a physics teacher like him😞

[@StarTalk]

Just because he’s on KZbin doesn’t mean he isn’t your physics teacher! 👨‍🎓

[@RohanKSharma]

@@StarTalk I am honored to say the least 🥺

[@J040PL7]

If only the world had good science teachers, humans would have so many more brilliant minds working, the school system drives out brilliant minds to other fields.

[@albandrejaj]

He really brings peace to my heart.

[@AliasMark69]

Neil is just plain WRONG about almost everything he says is real.

[@MrGeniusboy1992]

Dr. Tyson... You keep the baton of reason, science and logic high. Hats off sir.

[@StarTalk]

Much appreciated!

[@davidsheckler8417]

Dr...AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA..Dr...AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA 🤦‍♂️

[@mastrtonberry2]

I wouldn't go that far.

[@nobodyknows3180]

That and a terrific sense of humor. That's the most important thing in life, the ability to laugh, sometimes at oneself.

[@brickmartin1601]

@@HopDavid What do you do? And what do you consider “sucking at math”? I’m curious because I’m working on an aerospace engineering degree and I wouldn’t say someone who got a master’s in any kind of physics “sucks at math” because I know what it takes.

[@sapelesteve]

Gotta love how Neil always sheds so much light on any subject! Great video! 👍👍💥💥

[@KoRntech]

I see what you did there.

[@StarTalk]

Nice one!

[@stephanecorriveau6982]

Please allow me to commend you with my (infra) red pen:

[@JJs_playground]

Wow, that William Hershel story was incredible. That he thought to measure the temperature of light and then determine there was infrared because the test thermometer was hotter.

[@StarTalk]

Who thinks to do that!? Truly, a brilliant mind.

[@familex6424]

You should get yourself Niel's book "Astrophisics for people in a hurry"! There you can find many more interesting stories and facts like this story with Wiiliam Hershel!

[@JJs_playground]

@@familex6424 i do have that audiobook. Gotta listen to it again.

[@namituniyal1124]

Can somebody clarify as to why the temperature would be hotter in infrared? The wavelengths are longer so shouldn't it be cooler? A blue star is hotter than a red star, right?

[@carultch]

@@namituniyal1124 Indeed, a blue star is hotter than a red star. This drives people nuts trying to understand the concept of color temperature, when trying to reconcile the black-body radiation that determines color temperature with our cultural association that blue is cold and red is hot If a star only glows in infrared, it is relatively speaking, a cold star. Specifically, it is what we call a brown dwarf. The temperature is proportional to the most abundant frequency in any given object's spectrum, that glows with black-body radiation (or gray body radiation). Any kind of radiation from an object that is uniformly emissive at every frequency (few [if any], gray bodies really exist, but we can approximate it that way to keep it simple). By measuring the most abundant frequency of EM radiation that something emits, you can infer its temperature. Human bodies glow in infrared, but you can tell that something is hotter than a human, if it emits a much higher frequency of IR at the peak of its spectrum.

[@beau-urns]

As a geographer/spatial analysist who uses remotely sensed data, I LOVE that you are teaching people this

[@StarTalk]

Thank you for doing what you do!

[@Quxer0721]

Even though I know some of things, I still love to watch explainer videos. Perfect combination of science, knowlegde, fun and Chuck make me smile and little smarter.

[@StarTalk]

There’s always a blind spot in our understanding.

[@xTygrs]

I thought I understood how light works and I’ve seen multiple videos like this explaining light and stuff, yet when he described it as packing more energy into a smaller space, it blew my mind and gave me a new understanding. Thank you Dr. Tyson

[@pradyumnsoni4322]

One of the best explainers! So enlightening!

[@StarTalk]

So happy to hear that! 😁

[@-_Nuke_-]

@@StarTalk we all saw what he did there!

[@cristinal919]

This was so incredibly helpful and well-said. I hadn't even realized how fascinating this topic was until NGT taught me about it. Your passion and genuine enjoyment in teaching us is something I will never take for granted. I truly value this channel, and you only make me thirst for more. I have the utmost respect for you both. Chuck, thank you so much for your jokes and humor. Information can get dense on here, so sometimes light banter really helps give the brain a quick reset. I also really really appreciate when you ask questions. As non-experts in the field, sometimes *we* the audience want to ask questions! It's like you're our voice haha. Thank you for letting our voices be heard!! You are our representative and i love it!! XD Thank you both again. Thank you to y'all and anyone behind the scenes. Amazing job once again.

[@buddy.abc123]

Please create a series with 1million episodes. It breaks my heart that these videos end and I have to wait. Thanks for the lessons Dr

[@Bluesrains]

YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL IDEA THAT OUGHT TO KEEP US GOING FOR A WHILE!!

[@aliarsal4082]

Loved the selection of your analogy. These analogies help me alot to understand such beauties of nature.

[@StarTalk]

Glad they help!

[@galantonp]

Hi Niel & Chuck, I love your show! Thank you for everything you do to promote science education. I have a question, perhaps a topic for another explainer: what is frequency/wavelength at the fundamental level? When we see light represented, it's always like a bad chart without labels on the axes. What does that wavy line represent? Is it a trajectory? The frequency of arrival of photons at the detector? The variation of some quantum property? And does this have any connection with the polarization of light?

[@davidbeiro2875]

As I understand its literally the path that photons describe

[@Bunchachis]

​@@davidbeiro2875 like sound wave graph shows you how high is the pressure in any particular point of space, the EM graph sines stand for electric and magnetic potentials

[@alantr7]

I'd like to know this too.

[@Bluesrains]

YAH I LOVE CHUCK TOO EXCEPT HE MAKES ME LAUGH SO HARD I HAVE TO KEEP CHANGING MY UNDERWEAR OH WELL THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET OLD WHAT A GREAT DUO THESE TWO ARE MORE ENTERTAINING THAN MOVIE OF THE WEEK!!

[@knowmankind]

I know for UV light, if it is generated with a LED, it's almost invisible. The same thing happens with an Infrared LED. I love your guys show.

[@StarTalk]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@iamchrisdammit]

Hello Dr. Tyson. I was thinking about 2d, 3d and 4d. In a 2d plain, a person cant see the 3rd dimension or above. Can it be possible that electrons leave the 3rd dimension over to the 4th? Since we cant see the 4th dimension itll be no different than than a 2d plain person watching the 3d person leave and comeback. Thoughts? Or did i get my question all wrong?

[@ZeroKami86]

I thought the 4th dimension was time, no? If/when we do discover another plain of dimension would it be the 5th? Or would we push back time's dimensional numerical designation with some pseudo-daylight saving gibberish?

[@calebpoemoceah3087]

How flat can a 2d object be?

[@ZeroKami86]

@@calebpoemoceah3087 0 units. If it was anything else it wouldn't be 2D as adding any thickness, even a miniscule one, would inherently make the object 3D.

[@joshuaedwards3436]

Great question.

[@garyfilmer382]

That’s the most entertaining and comprehensive explanation of the electromagnetic spectrum that I have heard, thank you, Dr Tyson and Chuck. I discovered this channel only recently, and it is a really enjoyable way to re-discover some of what I had learnt about, many years ago.

[@Hirens.]

Also our phone cameras can detect infrared. You can test that by just pointing the camera at a remote when you press buttons on it.

[@sjsasii]

There is no more words,,, I just learned about the light Never been before any platform of social media,, What a great explanation,, Thank you once again DR Tyson And chuck

[@st923]

I love Startalk. Watching it from a few years. Got to learn a lot of new things about the Cosmos from Neil. Hoping to meet him atleast once in my life and ask the questions which I have.

[@kris.andrews]

One interesting thing for a show along these lines could be about the terahertz gap, I understand we don’t have practical transmitters and receivers for these frequencies but they might be useful for some purposes. Love the show!

[@carultch]

I had a professor in College who was working on researching the Terahertz gap. The issue is is that it is between the upper limit of what we can produce by electrical circuits (radio waves and microwaves), and what we could produce by photon emissions the way visible light is produced. The way his team produced T-rays, was with beat frequencies. Produce two IR waves that slightly differ in frequency, and the beat frequency would produce the desired Terahertz wave. It was a kind of wave that was of interest to become a safer alternative to X-rays, for medical imaging.

[@PrimarilyAW]

Didn't realize that "Radio" Waves were a form of light...🤯

[@DrRudolf-FantasticStories]

That's really great timing, I was just trying to write a project about this and needed some extra explanation

[@mattevans-koch9353]

Thank you gentlemen for a fun and enlightening break this afternoon. Always fun to see you both. Take care and have a great week.

[@AdamOn24s]

Love when a new explainer comes out and I'm wearing my startalk shirt the universe is aligned

[@peraruor]

Mr. Tyson, I just find your videos fascinating! I watch them all the time. Especially this one about the light spectrum is espacial. Never seen the light spectrum as clear after you explain it! The word wave focus in the "form" of that frequency and the "frequency" on the distance between "waves". Just facinating! Thank you so much for that information.

[@josepht5331]

I need to watch this video again because I missed everything after this man said “microwaves are short radio waves, micro-waves” 🤯🤯 thank you sir. As always I am learning new information watching u.

[@Bluesrains]

YOU'RE SO GOOD AT EXPRESSING YOURSELF! YOU'RE A JOY TO LISTEN TO AND EVEN MORE FUN TO WATCH, WHILE YOU'RE EXPLAINING THINGS. I ESPECIALLY LIKE WATCHING YOUR HANDS. YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL WAY OF TEACHING. HOW I WISH I COULD HAVE HAD YOU FOR A SCIENCE TEACHER, BUT, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. JUST DON'T TELL ANYBODY I HAVE ONE FOOT IN THE GROUND. THANKS NEIL FOR OPENING MY EYES AND SHOWING ME ALL THE WONDERS OF OUR GREAT UNIVERSE!!!

[@tobyjessup6483]

I have a teaching suggestion for Dr Tyson. When speaking of light, or the speed of light, to an audience, try using the word “heat” instead. In some discussions it may be easier for listeners to understand “heat”, a sensation we feel instead of see. Consider the local perception of time when one approaches the speed of light. For me, this paradox gets easier to grasp if expressed as the “speed of heat” because heat is a “change” in our local experience. The speed of heat is “the speed of change” and all that changes is sensed locally as “time”.

[@adonias7772]

Neil degrass Tyson, is phenomenal for giving you the perfect answer to the questions that are more significant to ask depending on the subject of the matter.

[@octobear2812]

Brilliant episode! Just brings be back into those high school days! I would have loved to have someone like you to be my teacher! One question in regards of sound in space though: Even though there is technically a vacuum in space - wouldn't you still be able to hear explosions or detonations in space - if you were close enough - because of the gasses expanding and thus hitting your ears or astro-suit?

[@susanrosegale6646]

I did not know that!! "We are practically blind...it is one happy family of electromagnetic spectrum." Let there be light...it does travel through space, like no other. Neil and Chuck, this was really good. More please! The Universe has your back my friends.

[@zhubajie6940]

You've reminded me of when I went down this rabbit hole in 4th grade when I asked the teacher how they knew the atmospheric composition of Mars as we'd only done flybys then. (Yes I'm that old). She didn't know but asked me to find out. Then learning from the spectrum of gases and then found there was the wider electromagnetic spectrum with all its variations.

[@minniesimmonsmoody4761]

Love the class ☺ keep on teaching 🥰

[@StarTalk]

Keep looking up!

[@paulhaynes3170]

I never learned this at school ! Great teacher ! Thanks you make science interesting

[@56jklove]

I love em spectrum and its cool that we have cameras that can show us these other lights. what do you think is cooler uv photography or infrared photography?

[@TonyWeesner-ok2pp]

I would watch Carl Sagan on PBS when I was about 10 years old more than 50 years ago.He was such a good teacher explaining these things so someone like me at that age could have some understanding.This reminds me of that thanks guys.

[@jono6385]

Would you please devote an episode to discuss the pros and cons of the numerous in use and conceptual devices or methodologies to observe the universe that is outside the detectable range of visible and infrared telescopes? Such as gamma radiation detectors, observation of gravitational effects on waves and particles, and direct measurements of interstellar particles.

[@nigeljohn6676]

Question,.. which waves travel the longest distances, through more solid mediums? Setting aside modulating frequencies, waves etc. Which waves do cellular networks use, and why? Neil please answer.

[@KoRntech]

Well I'm not Niel but I am an amateur radio operator. In the EM band it's radio waves they have the longest wavelength in kilometers, though I'm only have privilege down to 160 Metres. Now of course which frequency is dependent on the time of day and season along with solar cycle to know which radio wave will propagate the most. Look up wsprnet.org to see which one is being heard the furthest. Now Infrasonics to sonic waves would travel the furthest in a dense medium like the ocean. You can hear (feel) bass from a distance. But much lower frequencies can travel much further. Mobile is 700Mhz-2.500Ghz in segments with different protocols. 5G is far higher frequency but lower power and closer transmitters that why they are mounting smaller "cells" in signage and other buildings instead of distant towers as with the aforementioned frequencies which have less bandwidth compared to 5G but carry a lot more data and use much smaller antennas for 28-39Ghz

[@nigeljohn6676]

@@KoRntech Wow, thanks. That's a lot of info.

[@carultch]

@@nigeljohn6676 Long wavelength radio waves have the advantage of long distance communication, and diffracting around obstacles. Short wavelengths have the advantage of a better data density (aka bandwidth). This is why broadcast radio uses radio waves, and cell phones and wifi use microwaves. The radio spectrum is also heavily regulated in the US, and most bands are already reserved, so a cell phone company couldn't really use it, even if they wanted to. This is why cell phone towers depend on the landline network to function, and the cell tower is only locally assigned to a given radius of coverage.

[@songOmatic]

you mentioned the Herschel discovery in your Cosmos show, Neil! Great show as always.

[@goutham555]

I got points to add into future scope to my project. Thank you.

[@copernic7511]

That piece of art (and its other half) on the background of Neil's screen has become so familiar, it feels like I have it at home :D

[@davedaniels4967]

A few years ago Neil came to my hometown to speak. My boss was complaining his girlfriend was making him go to hear some guy speak! I ask who was speaking. He said Neil was going to speak. I said to him, are you crazy!! Neil is going to speak? I went with his girlfriend in his place!! One of my best nights, I also heard David Gould speak decades ago. Both on par!!

[@akdas27]

whenever i open youtube, my first search is a new video on this channel. Left my school more than 22 yrs ago, but still learning.

[@randomshorts2582]

I love these conversations 😍😍, more on the science topics

[@ronaldjorgensen6839]

my school skipped microwave spectrum for the most part yet fm tunneling was covered in a concrete jungle as well as self thought sonic density echoes off echo wave functions

[@ballapalleballe]

Thanks guys, this one was extra enjoyable. Youre the best!

[@reinholdhenke1641]

My dear Friends, thank you! Awesome title this one is! Love it for I live in, with, around and make money converting this science of electromagnetics into useful things...

[@Nightcrawler333]

I'm always overjoyed when I receive a notification of Neil's explainer video 👍👍👌👌

[@Lady_Beth]

Professor Tyson: "...and then we transition to gamma rays." KZbin: transitions to an ad for Chick-fil-A

[@djcuriosity6670]

Thanks Neil explaining electro spectrum to me I learn something new this morning Carl Sagan will be proud...

[@geoffreywilliams9324]

Good explanation Neil. One of the things I love about light is just how slow it travels ! Why do I say that? Well if you consider the size of the Universe then the speed of light is almost insigficant, I call it snail light because it takes so long to get anywhere . .

[@SolSystemDiplomat]

This is my field of education, excited to watch!

[@ixchelmeza6493]

Amazing vídeo I did not realice the realation between potatoes and light before

[@timward3946]

“And it all started with my potatoes” that wins quote of the day 🎖

[@2321Julius]

Please make an explainer about atmospheric pressure

[@blackmage999]

i recently learned about a technique called "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation" which uses magnetic fields to trigger the action potential in synapses. It has been used to treat depression with some success. Side effects including involuntary muscle twitches and blinking. Some people have also reported spots of light in their vision. I theorize that this technology could be used to create full dive virtual reality, though machine learning/AI will be needed to find the correct patterns of synapse activation for each individual.

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

You guy's should try puff potatoes! You deep fry slices, like 3 mm thick, but just a lighter gold shade, take out, drain, and lat cool down back to just over room temp, and deep fry them again, and since the middle is soft, but they have a tougher outside, you can watch them puff up like a pillow, and fish the puffed ones out (don't wait too long) and drain again. It's crispy goodness, but retains more potato flavor than chips. I think it's a french thing, so probably served with an aioli (flavored mayo).

[@Rhekon]

Had me at chips ngl. Almost forgot you'd be discussing waves and rays.

[@tonymoran9794]

Thank you for the 14-minute Masterclass Mr. Tyson!

[@actudoran]

Got a question... If an explosion happens in space and a wavefront hits your ship, that wavefront would have a Nonzero density hence vibration could travel through and part of could be perceived as sound, right?

[@ASJC27]

Wavefront of what? There's no matter in empty space so other than light from the explosion, the only things that can hit you are debris from the explosion. You would hear nothing until pieces impact your ship. No sound prior to this because there's no matter for sound to travel through.

[@lunar_trader]

Thank you guys keep up the hardwork an bringing us this absolutly amazing wisdom!! C:

[@StarTalk]

Thank YOU for this kind comment!

[@fkhan13]

Wow that was soo informative!!!! mad respect Dr. Tyson 💯

[@leonlaf9929]

I love listening to Dr Tyson and I know he is known for correcting mistakes that happens in movies. In the clip he made a small mistake. He said that explosions don't happen space. I think he meant that explosions don't make noise in space. Otherwise this was a great video!

[@geraldosalazar641]

Beautifully put…

[@nigeljohn6676]

Most educational man ever! Neil deGrasse! I so refreshing to learn stuff.

[@iwannaseenow1]

Great vid! One thing I noticed, 8:32 to 8:38 your index finger twitches. Maybe on purpose, but I am pretty sure that loss of fine motor skills can be an early sign of certain neurological afflictions. But again, maybe on purpose, lol.

[@klasss456albu5]

Continous spectrum of X-ray :the spectrum result from collission of accelerated electrons with atom of target materail ,the coillision slows down the movement because of electric field nuclei of target materail because of slow down ,the electron lose some of energy and appears as X-ray photons with different frequinces .maximum frequincy of x ray photon depend on potential difference applied at the sides of X-ray tube .it will give maximum kintetic energy .

[@adabujiki]

I love this channel, always and always delivering wisdom/ facts to us regular people.

[@dotpace7284]

I love Neil's "Explainers"!! And thank you too, Chuck!

[@egironyt]

Awesome conversation ✨

[@InVinoVeritas540]

Thanks Neil. I love how you put it in a simple way, but to where you actually understand it. Thanks to Mr. Tysons potatoes 🥔!

[@BackassWordsWeirdworld]

Thank you for stepping out there to reveal truth. People need it now, more than ever before, and as much as they can get. Keep up the good. You can and do make a big difference. Much love. God bless.

[@1683clifton]

Modern ir is invisible without the nods right? that's pretty cool to be able to do that without the focus on what it's generally used for.

[@Slamminization]

So, are x-rays, microwaves and radio waves actually frequencies of light? If so, with the right type of 'Camera', could these waves/particles be artificially translated into something we can visually perceive? Not like ‘Line on Graph' type detection, or anything similar, but visible photos, similar to those taken by Hubble of nebulae?

[@enadegheeghaghe6369]

Have you ever taken an Xray at a doctors office? That's exactly what you are talking about. And there are Xray detectors and Gamma Ray detectors (which are basically cameras) used on some telescopes. The recently launched James Webb space telescope has instruments that detect Infrared light.

[@RK-tf8pq]

Our eyes are sensitive to electromagnetism spectrum in the range of 400nm to 800 nm with approximately a Gaussian distribution with peak sensitivity occurring at around 600 nm. The sunlight has intensity in the range of 250 to about 2500 nm and the intensity curve as a function wavelength is like a Gaussian with a peak around 600 nm and long tail towards higher wavelengths continuing to 2500 nm. However, after the sunlight passes through the atmosphere, its intensity below 400nm and above 800nm is much lower, so much of the sunlight at sea level has irradiance between 400 nm to 800 nm with a peak at 600 nm. The sunlight irradiance curve at the sea level approximately mirrors sensitivity curve of our eyes. So our eyes’ sensitivity evolved to match the intensity of irradiance of the sunlight.

[@JustinSain999]

Neil you are so refreshing as a human being. Thank You !

[@sourcecode6467]

Always an absolute pleasure, we salute you

[@connorV96]

I wish it was explained like this when I was training to work on radars!

[@justinsharp2532]

Big fan of the show guys thank you for doing it and keeping it going

[@viewfromthehighchair9391]

LOL, I came up with Omega Rays literally 5 seconds before Chuck chimed in with the very thing. I love it when my thoughts are matched by greater minds even if they technically came up with it a month-and-a-half before it did. I do realize I'm watching something recorded in early May after all. TeeHee

[@mrsriramesh]

Dr. Tyson. Great explainer again. I have a quick question, since the waves are continuous range of frequency, is it fair to say some waves are only gamma waves and x rays while based on distance they travel their frequency can change? Also what we see/get as light wave from sun, for example, does it contain all the waves of all freq. if not what range it got and why. Obviously it got more than visible that how IR was discovered, hence I wonder what else is in the light waves and what controls that.

[@royalecrafts6252]

The sun does contain up to a certain range of frequency, all together yes, we get however the most yellow spectrum because of other colors get scattered

[@f-22raptor25]

No. Distance does not determine the wavelength/frequency. EM waves in space do not change with distance. Unless the source moves as it emits these waves. Sun emits a huge spectrum of wavelengths(look up blackbody radiation if you want to learn about this) , the intensity of each wavelength/freq. depends on its temp. Visible, UV, IR are intense in this case.

[@noodles9270]

I watch him alote and I learn something everytime, plus he's very entertaining. He's the man!

[@paulford9120]

I could listen to Neil talk for hours on end. 👍

[@klasss456albu5]

A sharp line spectrum :also called charactristic X-ray spectrum when accelerated elecrons are fall on the atom of target materail ,these electrons extract one electron from inner level of target materail and leave the atom permenantly and ionization state occurs ,this electron might go up into a higher energy level and becomes excited ,in both cases the atom will be excited and attemps to return to stability .the enetgy emitted in a form of x-ray photons .

[@thej3799]

X rays are weird in the ray.. band... and dunno what it implies. I guess quantum particle pairs have some theoretical distribution of probability... isn't hawking radiation mostly a narrow band?

[@gsav1320]

Love these two Ngl I’ve learned more from this show than all of my high school science classes 😭

[@maleeshapriyanjana7604]

Potatoes to electromagnetic waves. Wow what a nice way to explain physics. Understanding EM waves make easy by your potato theory. Great explanation

[@stephan5279]

Lovely video! Btw: Want to know, what me baffled as child? In the rainbot, it starts with red, then you come to orange which is a mixture of red and yellow, which follows orange and so on... And at the end, after the yellow-green-blue shift you have blue which changes to violet, which is a mixture with red, which brings you back to start again... That really amazed me and, somehow, still does...

[@carultch]

There is a gap in the actual rainbow, because magenta between violet and red, doesn't exist as a monochromatic color. Magenta light only exists as a mixture of red and blue light, and isn't a color of light in its own right.

[@jimkurth]

I think the coolest thing about our ability to sense is that it's all based on our ability to survive. If we were able to sense UV rays through our eyes then we wouldn't be able to sense the other rays within the color spectrum. So there was a survival need for us to develop the ability to sense air pressure changes between 20 Hz and 20 kHz through our ears (sound), and to sense IR as heat through our skin, and the rays above IR as color through our eyes, and the frequencies of which atoms within molecules of substances vibrate as smell through our nose. It's the most radical life-changing perspective that answers how we understand the world around us. And that, is science.

[@Bunchachis]

You are mostly right. But you don't necessarily need to sacrifice your ability to see "visible" light in order to see UV. Take a look at different animals, their spectrums of vision vary a lot and sometimes they are much broader than ours. And btw I think that our sense of IR is nothing special but a by-product of the perception of heat.

[@shizzy7478]

It was a very interesting video. Thank you sirs, very much appreciated

[@zitherzon2121]

At what wavelength(s) does the source of the photons change from electrons to atomic nuclei?

[@michaelodell4862]

So am I correct in thinking that the heat from the Ultraviolet light is what tans us? Not the light itself?

[@LEDewey_MD]

You heard it here first, folks. The official name for electromagnetic waves that have higher energy than gamma rays are OMEGA waves! :D

[@Trev0r98]

i love Chuck. Glad he's back.

[@Mee399]

Please tell us about sound waves they too have similar nature,infrabass is not audible and extreme highs are also not audible to human ear....and extreme highs just like uv to skin can be damaging to hearing! Please make a video on this topic if you are reading this!😊

[@enadegheeghaghe6369]

Sound waves are not electromagnetic waves. They are merely distortions of pressure in mediums such as air and water. Sound waves have nothing to do with light

[@Mee399]

@@enadegheeghaghe6369 yes, they are not electromagnetic 😊what I was saying is high frequencies are more harmful than lowers in both sound and light while bass and infrared can be felt even if you don't necessarily have natural ability to hear and see them! I hope you got my point😊 and since it's still physics to study and understand sound waves I think my request isn't irrelevant!

[@ElectronicElevation]

Thank you for such a great channel!

[@tien1432]

Great explanation 😊

[@Antelopesinsideme]

Light was named "light" before we knew how *light* light is

[@inkonmyhands]

An Neil talk about wireless headphones and other wireless products, and how they may or may not be harmful, in another episode? I'd love to see that. Thanks :)

[@gianluca.g]

Nice fact: remote controls use infrared light to communicate with the tv set. We are blind to infrared light so we don't see any light coming out the remote when you press a button on it. Smartphone cameras can detect infrared light, so you can actually "see" the infrared light coming out from the remote by pointing your smartphone camera at it and looking through the screen.

[@royalecrafts6252]

So smartphones change the frequency of the IR light so it makes it visible for us?

[@curtislindsey1736]

Just watched your episode on Conversations with Joe and it was excellent! Everyone should check it out!