MICROWAVESYou may be familiar with microwave images as they are used on TV weather news and you can even use microwaves to cook your food. Microwave ovens work by using microwave about 12 centimeters in length to force water and fat molecules in food to vibrate. As these molecules move and undergo forced vibrations this creates heat, and the food is cooked. Different wavelengths of microwaves (grouped into "sub-bands") provide different information to scientists. Medium-length (C-band) microwaves go through clouds, dust, smoke, snow, and rain to show the Earth's surface. L-band microwaves, like those used by a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver in your car, can also penetrate the canopy cover of forests to measure the soil moisture of rain forests. Most communication satellites use C-, X-, and Ku-bands to send signals to a ground station. This Doppler-radar image seen on TV weather news uses microwaves for local weather forecasting. Shown here is Hurricane Claudette's eye-wall making landfall. Credit: NOAA Photos taken using microwaves: Even clues to the Big Bang: Now you have seen through the "eyes" of a microwave!
9 Comments
|
Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |