U.V. rays - Multiverse - Solar Week Message Board

Solar Week - Ask a Question

Come here during Solar Week (next one: March 22-26, 2021) to interact. To post a question, click on your area of interest from the topics below, and then click on the "Ask New Question" button. Or EMAIL or tweet or plant in Answer Garden your question about the Sun or life as a scientist to us -- and watch for it to appear here. You can also visit our FAQs (frequently asked questions). In between Solar Weeks in October and March, you can view all the archives here.

Forums
Search Forum
Advanced SearchTopicsPosts

Prev Go to previous topic

Go to next topic

Last Post 3/19/2008 6:37 AM by Anonymous

U.V. rays

2 Replies

Sort:


You are not authorized to post a reply.

Author

Messages

Anonymous

Posts:

3/18/2008 5:47 AM
If we were hit by extreme ultraviolet rays how would we be harmed? Megan O. Fairfield Woods Middle School

Paulett Liewer

Basic Member

Posts:113

3/18/2008 7:45 AM
We do get hit my ultraviolet rays whenever the Sun is up. But luckily the atmosphere screens out most of the UV rays. But when you go higher , for instance going up in the mountains, since there is less atmosphere, the intensity of the UV light is higher. UV light causes sunburn. That's why you get more easily sunburned at higher altitudes. Also, UV light can penetrate clouds -- so you can get sunburned even on a cloudy day. If the intensity of UV light is too great, it can cause damage to our cells and our DNA, causing mutations. Some scientist think that without our atmosphere protecting us from most UV rays, life might not have evolved on land.