sun

The Sun is a 4.5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star – a hot glowing ball of hydrogen
and helium – at the center of our solar system. It's about 93 million miles (150 million
kilometers) from Earth and it's our solar system's only star. Without the Sun's energy,
life as we know it could not exist on our home planet
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in
particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight
is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmospherea combination of
bright light and radiant heat. When blocked by clouds or reflected off other objects,
sunlight is diffused. Sources estimate a global average of between 164 watts to 340
watts[1] per square meter over a 24-hour day;[2] this figure is estimated by NASA to be
about a quarter of Earth's average total solar irradiance.
The ultraviolet radiation in sunlight has both positive and negative health effects, as it
is both a requisite for vitamin D3 synthesis and a mutagen.
Sunlight takes about 8.3 minutes to reach Earth from the surface of the Sun.[3] A
photon starting at the center of the Sun and changing direction every time it
encounters a charged particle would take between 10,000 and 170,000 years to get
to the surface.[4]
Sunlight is a key factor in photosynthesis, the process used by plants and
other autotrophic organisms to convert light energy, normally from the Sun,
into chemical energy that can be used to synthesize carbohydrates and fuel the
organisms' activities.

The Rainbow

The rainbow with its spectacular 7 colours spread across the sky. It can be seen
when a person has his/her back towards the sun. When the water droplets in the
atmosphere disperse in the presence of sunlight, the rainbow is visible to us. For a
rainbow to be visible, there are two conditions that should be met-

1. The sun should be shining in a part of the sky.

2. In the opposite part of the sky to the sun, it should be raining

Process of Rainbow Formation

As the light from the sun enters a water droplet present in the atmosphere, it is
refracted. The white light then splits into 7 component colours of the rainbow of
different wavelengths. The colour having a longer wavelength of light i.e. red is bent
the least. The colour having a shorter wavelength of light i.e. violet is bent the most.
These rays of light then strike the inner surface of that water droplet leading to
reflection if the angle between the refracted ray and normal to the drop surface is
greater than the critical angle i.e. 48 degrees in this case. As this light moves forward
to come out of the droplet, it undergoes refraction again. The red light comes out at
an angle of 42 degrees to the sunlight while the violet light comes out at an angle of
40 degrees. All the remaining colours exist between these two.

Process of Rainbow Formation

This is how a primary rainbow is formed as a result of 3 steps of processes -

refraction, reflection and refraction.

But why is it that when you observe a rainbow, you see a red colour on the top and
violet on the bottom?

This is because the violet light from drop 1 and the red one from drop 2 are directed
at various levels that in practice lies above or below the observer. So, the red light
coming from drop 1 and the violet light coming from drop 2 reaches the eyes of the
observer and we see a rainbow with red colour on top and violet on bottom.

.
The Blue Colour of the Sky

When sunlight enters the earth’s atmosphere and travels, it gets scattered by the
particles present in the atmosphere. The light changes its direction hence. The light
having shorter wavelengths is scattered much more than the light having longer
wavelengths. It is due to this reason that blue colour dominates the sky above as it
has a shorter wavelength, it scatters more. Now, violet has a much shorter
wavelength than blue and so it scatters the most but why are we not able to see it?
Because our eyes are more sensitive to blue colour than violet and hence the sky
appears blue to us.

White Clouds

There are various large particles present in the atmosphere like water and dust. λ is
the relative size of the wavelength and the scatterer is of size a. For a << λ, the
scattering occurs in accordance with Rayleigh scattering (The amount of scattering is
inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wavelength). While for large
scattering objects like a raindrop, dust or ice particles, a >> λ, it is not true that all
wavelengths are nearly scattered equally. Hence the clouds having a >> λ are
generally white.

The Reddish Appearance of the Sun and Full Moon near the Horizon

During the times of sunrise or sunset, the light rays have to travel more in the
atmospheric air. Most of the blue and colours of other such wavelengths get
scattered thus leading to the least scattered light i.e. red reaching our eyes. Hence,
the sun looks reddish to us during sunrise and sunset and the full moon has a
reddish appearance near the horizon.
Defec

Defects of Vision And Their Correction

Defects in the eye happen due to many reasons. Due to growing age, the vision
also decreases, and when the focal length alters, the vision also alters. We know
that cataract is a common defect seen in the eye. Cataracts cause partial or
sometimes complete vision loss when not treated properly. When the crystalline
lens at old age becomes milky and cloudy, it is known as a cataract. When a
person undergoes cataract surgery, the vision can be restored.
When the eye loses its ability to adjust its focal length, problems appear like a
person cannot see the image correctly (blurring of vision), unable to view
nearby objects or far away objects. When the defect in the refractive index
occurs, the person cannot see the objects comfortably and distinctly. If not taken
timely care of, the eyes might completely lose the power of accommodation. In
this article, let us learn about various vision defects and their correction.

Refractive Defects of Vision

Some of the common defects of vision are:
(i) Myopia or near-sightedness
(ii) Hypermetropia or far-sightedness
(iii) Myopia
Myopia or Near-Sightedness
Myopia is commonly known as near-sightedness. In this
condition, the person can see the objects nearby but cannot
see distant objects clearly. Faraway objects appear blurry, and
a person will not be comfortable seeing
them. Myopia condition takes place when the shape of the
eyes leads the light rays to bend in a wrong way, focusing
images in front of the retina rather than focusing on the retina.
Myopia is explained in the figure below.
Symptoms:
 Blurry vision.
 Difficulty in seeing while driving, particularly during

night times.
 Headaches due to eyestrain.

Correction : When a concave lens of suitable power is

used, it assists in focusing the image onto the retina.
Hypermetropia or Far-Sightedness
Hypermetropia is commonly known as far-sightedness. In this
condition, the person can see objects at a distance but cannot
see nearby objects clearly. Usually, the person with this
disorder squints to see nearby objects. Hypermetropia is
caused when the light rays from a closeby object are focussed
at a point behind the retina. The condition of hypermetropia is
clearly explained in the figure below.
Symptoms:
 Blurry vision.
 Headaches due to eyestrain.
 Squinting.
Correction : Using spectacles with a converging lens imparts
additional focusing power and thus helps form the image on
the retina.

Presbyopia
We know that along with age, the power of the
accommodation factor to adjust the focal length also
decreases. People have difficulties viewing nearby objects
clearly without the assistance of corrective eyeglasses. This
condition is referred to as presbyopia. Presbyopia happens
when the ciliary muscles weaken and diminish the elasticity
of the eye lens. Presbyopia can be seen in people above the
age of 40 years.
Symptoms:
Blurred vision due to ageing.
Headaches due to eyestrain.
Correction : This condition can be corrected by using proper
eyeglasses or contact lenses. Minor surgery also helps in
restoring the vision with better clarity. Advancement in
technology has made it easy to correct the refractive defects
with contact lenses or through surgical interventions.

Person With Myopia and Hypermetropia Disorders

We can see some people who suffer from myopia and
hypermetropia disorders. In such conditions, it is advised to
use bifocal lenses. Usually, bi-focal lenses consist of concave
as well as convex lenses. The bi-focal lens has a concave lens
in the upper portion and a convex lens in the lower portion to
facilitate distant vision and near vision