There is an incredible amount to know about visible light, and I will just be scratching the service of the subject. Every hobbyist who wishes to house photosynthetic invertebrates should have some very basic information about light and the measurement of light. After all, most of your corals and anemones need it to survive!
Visible light is simply a small frequency range (frequency means how often a full wave ‘propagates’ ie. a full crest and trough of a wave) in a very large range of occurring energy frequencies (frequencies that include microwaves, radio waves, x-rays, and all other energy). Energy can be associated with wavelength, or the distance between the crest and trough of the wave. Most of the visible light spectrum, which is energy with a wavelength between 400 and 700 nanometers (one billionth of a meter, abbreviated nm) will affect, or stimulate chloroplasts, meaning that the energy delivered by the light will be converted into chemical energy in the cell, resulting in photosynthesis. Wavelengths shorter than 400nm carry too much energy and can damage or destroy living tissues, while wavelengths longer than 700nm do not carry enough energy for photosynthesis to occur.
Next in the Lab: Photosynthetically Active Radiation, or PAR! Have a topic or a question you'd like to see answered? Ask away in the comment section below!
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