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If I place a prism on a ray of sunlight in a dark room as Newton did, but projected onto modern sensors, can it register microwaves and radio photons beyond the infrared? More in text inside... (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

If the answer is YES, a related follow-up question: if each visible color of the spectrum were to measure a centimeter in width, how far would I have to move the sensor from the red to detect the change from infrared to microwave, then to radio?

In the knowledge that Sir William Herschel discovered infrared by repeating Newton's experiment, but with a thermometer to measure the temperature of each component of the spectrum, and after placing the thermometer a bit to the side of the red light, in darkness, noticed quite by accident that the device would still register heat, therefore an invisible yet very real component of light was there, warming the thermometer.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

The visible spectrum is from 380-750nm, IR alone is 750nm - 1mm (or 1000000nm), so really far I imagine.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Don't longer wavelengths bend less when going through a prism? The bands of infrared, microwaves, and radiowaves might be bunched up pretty close to each other.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's an excellent point that I'm not sure anyone considered here. I believe in air index of refraction is a function of (1/wavelength)^4. I didn't remember if that's broadly the case for other media/materials.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I believe in air index of refraction is a function of (1/wavelength)^4

Isn't that for Rayleigh scattering, not refraction?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Oof yes!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

If IR starts at 750nm, you don't have to go very far to see it. 751nm would count as infrared.

Of course it's not a clear line like that, but you get the idea.