Welcome Students!
Mar 31, 2015
Welcome Students!
How do you feel in the sunlight?
Warm!
Why?
The Sun gives off:
LightHeat
This heat and light is called…
Solar Radiation:heat and light from the Sun
Solar Radiation is reflected and absorbed
Reflection:
heat and light bounce off a surface
Absorption:heat and light are taken in by a
surface
Solar radiation warms the Earth
Earth’s atmosphere protects us from most solar radiation
There is no atmosphere in space, so it can get very hot or very cold
Astronauts need extra protection in space from the extreme
temperatures
Why else do astronauts need extra protection?
•No air
•No pressure
•space debris
What do Astronauts wear for protection in space?
The Experiment: why are space suits white?
You will get two envelopes
One light envelope One dark envelope
Place a thermometer inside each envelope
Place the envelopes in the light, record the temperatures, and predict
how they will change
Graph your results!
100 ° F
90 ° F
80 ° F
70 ° F
60° F
0 mins
5mins
10 mins
15 mins
20 mins
Write a Hypothesis:
Which color do you think will get warmer and why?
Which envelope was warmer?
The dark envelope!
Why?
Dark colors absorb light:
•take heat in
•get hotter faster
That’s why black asphalt is so hot in the summer
Which envelope stayed cooler?
The light envelope!
Why?
Light colors reflect light:
•Heat bounces off
•Stay cooler
This is why astronauts wear light colored space suits!
Did You Know?
Space suits also have built-in air conditioning to help keep astronauts cool!