Humans cannot see infrared and ultraviolet light, which are colors beyond the visible spectrum. While we perceive a wide range of colors, our eyes are limited to detecting light within a specific wavelength. Infrared and ultraviolet light fall outside this range.
Understanding the Limitations of Human Vision
Our perception of color is a result of our brain's interpretation of light wavelengths detected by our eyes. Cone cells in the retina are responsible for color vision, with different types of cones sensitive to different wavelengths. These cones are primarily sensitive to red, green, and blue light. However, many other wavelengths exist that our cones cannot detect.
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Infrared (IR): Infrared light has a longer wavelength than red light and is often associated with heat. Many animals can detect IR, but humans cannot see it directly. Technological devices like thermal cameras allow us to visualize infrared radiation indirectly.
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Ultraviolet (UV): Ultraviolet light has a shorter wavelength than violet light. UV light is invisible to humans but can cause sunburn and is responsible for Vitamin D production in our skin. Some insects and animals can see UV light.
Beyond the limitations of our cone cells, the concept of "color" itself is complex. Some argue that colors don't exist independently in nature but are created by our brains' interpretation of light. This interpretation is based on the wavelengths of light reaching our eyes.
Furthermore, the idea of “impossible colours”, such as combinations of red-green and blue-yellow, are often discussed. These are not colors humans cannot see, but rather combinations of color stimuli that our visual system cannot simultaneously process to create a single unified perception.
The references highlight that:
- "Colors don't exist in nature, they're our brains' reaction to certain wavelengths of light hitting our eyes. There's lots of wavelengths our eyes can't detect." This confirms that our color perception is a subjective experience limited by our biological makeup.
- "We see our world in a huge variety of color. However, there are other “colors” that our eyes can't see, beyond red and violet, they are: infrared and ultraviolet." This directly answers the question, specifying infrared and ultraviolet as examples of invisible colors.
