How do electromagnetic waves from the sun vary in wavelength?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the emission of electromagnetic waves from the sun, emphasizing that photons travel in straight lines rather than in oscillating paths. The waves consist of electric and magnetic fields that oscillate, and the concept of "wavelength" is introduced to explain the variation in the waves. It is established that solar electromagnetic waves are incoherent, lacking uniformity in their phases, and exhibit a range of wavelengths as depicted in the solar spectrum graph.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electromagnetic waves and their properties
  • Familiarity with the concept of wavelength in physics
  • Basic knowledge of the solar spectrum and its representation
  • Awareness of photon behavior in wave propagation
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the characteristics of incoherent electromagnetic waves
  • Study the solar spectrum in detail, focusing on wavelength distribution
  • Explore the principles of wave-particle duality in photons
  • Learn about the interaction of solar electromagnetic waves with Earth's atmosphere
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators in the field of astronomy, and anyone interested in understanding the nature of solar radiation and its implications for Earth.

revv
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How does the sun emit or radiate its electromagnetic waves?

https://imgur.com/odqclja

Is it like the first picture where it might be spaces in between the waves or more like the picture under it where the waves are uni formally (I think is the right word) with no space in between them? Or maybe not like those at all?
 
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revv said:
How does the sun emit or radiate its electromagnetic waves?

the photons don't take wriggly ( cycling) paths between the Sun and the Earth
just like they don't for the light from your lamps to your eye, or from the FM /TV transmitter to your radio and TV

for all reasonable purposes, they travel in straight lines

Yes, there is an oscillation, but it is in each of the electric and magnetic field that make up the EM wave
 
revv said:
Is it like the first picture where it might be spaces in between the waves or more like the picture under it where the waves are uni formally (I think is the right word) with no space in between them?
Accorsing to what you drew the thing that you are calling “spaces between the waves” is called “wavelength”. The EM waves from the sun have a variety of wavelengths, and they are incoherent meaning that they don’t form nice neat rings or lines like you drew, but they are at different random phases all over.

Here is a graph of the solar spectrum where the wavelength is the horizontal axis.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solar_spectrum_en.svg
 

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