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!