We can say that everything we see around us is due to light. Lights are divided into two as natural and artificial. In this article, we will talk about natural light sources. If a light is visible to the human eye, its electromagnetic radiation frequency is around 390 to 700 nanometers. The Sun, which rises in the east every morning and sets in the west every evening, both illuminates and warms the earth throughout the day. It is our main source of natural light. Lightning and lightning have always frightened people with their sudden bright lights and loud noises. Lightning is actually a very strong electrical current that lasts less than a second.
Just as the electric current passing through the filament of a light bulb makes the filament incandescent and illuminates the environment, the electric current formed between the cloud and the ground illuminates the environment as a natural light source. If you look at the sky from a place where the city lights are not visible on a cloudless night without the moon, you will see thousands of stars winking at you. Within a few minutes, your eyes will get used to the darkness. The Milky Way stretches from one horizon to the other in all its glory. All the stars you see are natural light sources, just like the Sun.
What are natural light sources?
sunlight
The sun is one of the most important natural light sources for our planet. It is described as a gigantic fireball that produces massive energy through nuclear fusion at its center. This energy from the sun comes out in the form of light and heat. The biggest factor behind the sustainability of life on our planet is natural light from the Sun.
Lightning and lightning
Lightning is an electric current formed by an imbalance of charge between the ground and the clouds. Negative charges in the clouds, namely electrons, try to be attracted towards the positive charges on the earth, namely protons. This creates lightning, that is, an electric current. It would be nice if we could store this energy, but it is not possible to store it yet in today’s technology. Meanwhile, lightning is an electric current, just like lightning, but due to an imbalance of charge between two clouds. Both are natural light sources.
animals
Some deep sea creatures such as Fireflies, Jellyfish, Anglerfish, Viper fish glow in the dark. These creatures can convert the chemical energy in their tissues into light energy whenever they want. Such creatures are called bioluminescent creatures. These animals are also considered to be prime examples of natural light sources.
plants and fungi
Various plants, even fungi, can emit light by transforming the chemicals they contain. Such plants and fungi are called bioluminescent creatures. They transform the caffeic acid they contain into a compound that provides luminosity, and in this way, they can naturally illuminate the environment in the dark. That’s why plants and fungi are among our natural light sources.
insects
Many insects such as fireflies and glowworms also tend to emit natural light. Fireflies use the light they produce to defend themselves against their enemies and to communicate. Interestingly, fireflies do not feel heat due to the light they produce. Because the light they produce is different from normal light. Scientists call this light they produce cold light. Such insects are also among our natural light sources.
stars
Some reactions take place inside the sun and other stars, that is, in their cores. These reactions are called fusion reactions and this is how stars produce energy. This energy rises to the surface and radiates out into space as visible light. The light that reaches our eyes is a tiny fraction of the energy produced by stars. Most of the high energy is emitted in infrared or ultraviolet wavelengths. That’s why stars are also our natural light sources.
So what is the importance of natural light sources for us?
Our ancestors did not have artificial light sources. For thousands of years, all civilizations saw their way through sunlight, and some civilizations even worshiped the sun. Probably no one thought to talk about the benefits and importance of natural light sources until the period we live in. But come on, we are currently dependent on artificial lights. However, the benefits of natural light sources do not end with counting, so natural light sources are of great importance for us. Exposure to a natural light source helps our bodies produce vitamin D. It helps us sleep and focus. It has a huge impact on our physical and psychological health.
By the way, sunlight does not give us vitamin D directly. It activates the enzymes that produce vitamin D by penetrating under our skin, and our body begins to produce vitamin D. Its deficiency causes diseases such as depression, obesity, multiple sclerosis. We all need to be productive, so we should take advantage of natural light sources. One of the biggest benefits of natural light is that it makes us more productive. In particular, employees who benefit from sunlight in their workplaces perform their jobs more industriously and productively. At the same time, we start to feel better psychologically. Lack of sunlight can make us feel down, depressed or even anxious. For example, this is exactly why there is a disease called Seasonal Affective Disorder.
In this article, we have looked at the natural light sources in detail, we have examined and learned why we need them. Although we do not like the sun, which is our biggest source of natural light, because it causes us to suffer in summer, we have seen that it is actually quite important for us. In order to benefit from the sunlight during the day, you should go out and walk and breathe the fresh air.
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