Dawn's VIR spectrometer

The electromeagnetic spectrum is made of different radiations: visible light that comes from a lamp in your house or radio waves that come from a radio station are two types of electromagnetic radiation. Other examples of EM radiation are microwaves, infrared (infrared

) and ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-rays. Hotter, more energetic objects and events create higher energy radiation than cool objects. Only extremely hot objects or particles moving at very high velocities can create high-energy radiation like X-rays and gamma-rays.

Here are the different types of radiation in the EM spectrum, in order from lowest energy to highest:

	Radio:the same kind of energy that radio stations emit into the air are also emitted by other things ... such as stars and gases in space. These waves can be use it to learn what they are made of.
	Microwaves are the same used in microwave ovens. In space, microwaves are used byastronomers to learn about the structure of nearby galaxies, including our own Milky Way!
	Infrared: we often think of this as being the same thing as 'heat', because it makes our skin feel warm. In space, IR light maps the dust between stars. Visible: the part that our eyes see. Visible radiation is emitted by everything from fireflies to light bulbs to stars, also by fast-moving particles hitting other particles. Ultraviolet: we know that the Sun is a source of ultraviolet (or UV) radiation, because it is the UV rays that cause our skin to burn! Stars and other "hot" objects in space emit UV radiation.
	Xrays: your doctor uses them to look at your bones and your dentist to look at your teeth. Hot gases also emit X-rays .
	Gamma-rays: radioactive materials (some natural and others made by man in things like nuclear power plants) can emit gamma-rays. Big particle accelerators that scientists use to help them understand what matter is made of can sometimes generate gamma-rays. But the biggest gamma-ray generator of all is the Universe! It makes gamma radiation in all kinds of ways.