ELI5: What is UV light?

Imagine the sun shining! You can see the light and feel the warmth. But the sun sends out other kinds of light too, ones you can't see. One of these is called UV light, which stands for Ultraviolet light.

Think of it like this:

• Visible light is like the colors of a rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
• UV light is beyond the violet color, that's why it's called "ultra" violet. It's a type of electromagnetic radiation.

• Sunburns: When you stay in the sun too long without sunscreen, the UV light can damage your skin, causing a painful sunburn. Sunscreen helps block the UV light.
• Tanning beds: These use UV light to make your skin darker. But just like the sun, too much UV light from tanning beds can be harmful.
• Some lights kill germs: Some special lamps use UV light to kill bacteria and viruses. Hospitals sometimes use these to clean rooms. Even some water bottles have a UV light inside to purify the water!
• Special effects: Some materials glow under UV light (also called a blacklight). You might see this at parties or in science experiments.