Visible spectrum

The Colors We See

The visible spectrum is the special part of light that our eyes can see. It is made of colors, like a rainbow. When white light passes through a glass piece called a prism, it splits into many colors. This shows us all the colors in the visible spectrum.

Our eyes can see colors from red to violet. Red light has long waves, and violet light has short waves. Most people can see light that is about 380 to 750 nanometers long. This is a very small measure, smaller than a tiny ant!

Fun Color Facts

Some colors, like pink or magenta, are not in the visible spectrum alone. We see them when our eyes mix different colors together. Real colors from the spectrum are called spectral colors. These are colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

Long ago, a smart man named Isaac Newton discovered how prisms split white light. He was the first to use the word spectrum and named the colors he saw. He even added a seventh color, indigo, to make seven colors total!

Light From Our Sky

The air around Earth lets most visible light pass through easily. This is why we can see the beautiful blue sky during the day. The air scatters blue light more than other colors, making the sky look blue. Near the Sun, the sky looks white because all colors mix together.

Many animals see colors a little differently than we do. Some birds and fish can see ultraviolet light, which is a type of light we cannot see. This helps them find food or see special marks on each other.