However, the light or radiation of the sun is composed by many things including something that is dangerous for human. This solar radiation has been lighting us for billions of years. Should not have we be afraid of it?
It cannot be avoided that the Sun or Solar is important to human life. Without it, people on the Earth particularly will experience the cooler temperature than today. The sun also helps us from its radiation. For example, the solar radiation is crucially needed by the plants to perform the photosynthesis. The results of photosynthesis in ecosystem are the first menu of grass-eating animal such as cows and sheep or chicken which eats seeds from photosynthesis process. Thus, the animals gain weight and they are the main source of energy for human.
In health topic, solar radiation has been reported to be linked with the growth of human’s parts such as skeleton, and this knowledge has been becoming the tradition by letting the baby being exposure in the morning and afternoon sun. However, this tradition could be considered as dangerous act since the solar radiation which has been being exposed is too much. According to the documents written by the World Health Organization (WHO) about the dangerous of too much solar radiation stated that too much exposures of ultraviolet radiation, visible light and infrared radiation will increase risks of diseases in particular parts such as eyes and skins.
Therefore, what makes the solar radiation is dangerous for human being? The answer lies on the characteristics of solar radiation itself. In physics, the solar radiation is categorized as electromagnetic wave because its properties are similar with electrical and magnetic matter. As the electromagnetic wave is composed by discontinuing of photons, it can be classified into particles. These particles than are called photon.
However, the interesting fact about solar radiation is in its differentiation of wavelength. The solar radiation is called as polychromatic wave meaning it has been composed by several monochromatic waves. The classification is based on the wavelength and this is also the reason of the danger itself. In order by the longest to the smallest wavelength is radio-television-infrared-visible lights-ultraviolet-x ray-gamma ray. The illustration is depicted by the graph below.
The dangerous of solar radiation is located on all of the monochromatic wave except the visible lights which are red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet or the colors of rainbow. The others cannot be seen with our naked eye and it can generate medical problem to human. For example, the ultraviolet rays, X rays and Gamma rays can generate melanoma or skin cancer to human if we are being exposed too much by those. These three are the smallest wavelength however the energy is the highest so it could pass the surface of the skin.