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Light & Color: Exploring Visible Light Activity Guide

Light & Color: Exploring Visible Light Activity Guide

This activity introduces learners to the visible-light spectrum and color mixing. Your event’s attendees may explore visible light by observing it with diffraction grating glasses to see how it can be broken up into its component colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet).

Participants will learn:

  • The primary colors of visible light are red, blue, and green. When all combined, these colors make white light.
  • Combining red, blue, and green light in different ways and with different intensities produces different colors of light.
  • Breaking light up into its component colors is called spectroscopy, an important tool for studying the universe.

Spanish-language handouts are included.

Access Files & Links

Youth wearing a pair of solar eclipse glasses looking at something held up by the presentor.
Stripe of  lights on a table while a crowd of visitors visits the outreach table hosted by presenters
Several youth interact with Light and Color Exhibit

NASA's Universe of Learning Resources