ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light


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Your eye is a wonderful detector of visible light. Different frequencies of light produce different sensations in the eye which we interpret as colors.

Our eyes detect light by using light sensitive components called rods and cones. Cones are used when the light is intense, such as during the daytime. With cones, we can see different colors of light.

Rods are used when the light is very dim. Rods cannot detect colors. That is why things appear as shades of grey at night.


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ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA