Book 13, Question 87
Why Do CDs and DVDs Shimmer with Colors?
A CD or DVD has a spiral track of super-tiny grooves, spaced very close together. These grooves split white light into its colors. Which colors you see depends on the angle you look from.
More fun facts
- The colors on a CD come from white light reflecting off tiny ridges in its metal layer.
- Like raindrops, a CD separates white light into all the colors that make it up.
- You can make a simple spectroscope from a CD to study light.
- A CD spectroscope pointed at a fluorescent light shows bright, separate bands of color.
- You can point a CD spectroscope at lights, sunlit clouds or even a colored shirt to see the colors in their light.
Sources: Exploratorium, Exploratorium
Questions kids ask
What is a spectroscope?
A tool that splits light into its colors so you can study it.