Try Answering This

1. At a temperature of 37 C (98.6 F), your body radiates mostly at infrared wavelengths. Imagine that you visit a strange planet where the creatures' body temperature is so cold that they radiate mostly at radio wavelengths. Their sun, however, is just like ours. Would you be able to see them? Why? hint: You radiate at infrared wavelengths that our eyes are not sensitive to, yet you can see your friends. Why?

2. The clothes you are wearing today probably have lots of colors: red, green, blue. Does that mean that that they have different temperatures? For example, if you're wearing a red sweater does that mean it has a different temperature than your green socks? Does your red sweater put out red light like a red star does?

3. Most people would say that stars are very hot. However all stars do not have the same temperature. Some stars are much hotter than others. Scientists use color as one way to tell the temperature of a star. Why is it that our Sun sometimes appears to be different colors (yellow, red, and orange)? Does this mean that it changes its temperature?