Radiation

Energy that travels through space at the speed of light. The total range of electromagnetic wavelengths and frequencies is called the electromagnetic spectrum. Our eyes are sensitive to a sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum we call visible light, from red to blue. Beyond the blue end, as wavelength decreases and frequency increases, lie ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma-rays. In the other direction past red, as wavelength increases and frequency decreases, lies infrared, microwave, and radio regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio waves are the longest, extending on the order of meters, while X-rays and gamma-rays are the shortest, on the order of atomic size. Light wavelengths are measured in microns, millionths of meters. For all forms of electromagnetic radiation, the speed of light must remain constant, regardless of wavelength or frequency.