What is full spectrum light?
Full spectrum light is the name we give to the light produced by the sun after it passes through the earth’s atmosphere. In the tropics (where most companion birds ancestors originated) the sun’s light reaches the earth in its most undiluted form. In captivity we use various fluorescent lights to try to reproduce sunlight as closely as possible. The parts of sunlight we are most interested in reproducing are in the ultraviolet spectrum – in particular UV A and UV B light. It is a small segment of the UVB (sometimes referred to as ‘middle ultraviolet’ light) that causes Vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Most people studying this agree that the UVB light needs to be somewhere between 290 and 310 nanometers in wavelength for this to occur and a Color Temperature of >5000 Kelvin. Less generally known are the benefits of another part of full spectrum lighting – those caused by UVA (also called ‘near ultraviolet’) light.
Healthy full spectrum light must closely resemble the sun’s natural light at noon. The light must have the full spectrum of light, not a partial spectrum or a distorted spectrum. All of the colours combine to produce a blue-white light. Manufacturers generally agree that the light emitted should be above 90 CRI, 5000 Kelvin (see Definitions) to be called “full spectrum”. We insist that all of our full spectrum light products are above and beyond these minimum requirements. Our Indoor Sunshine full spectrum lights come from the highest quality mix of phosphors to produce a light that has the beneficial red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Our light is balanced to emit light like natural sunshine.
Full spectrum light is the name we give to the light produced by the sun after it passes through the earth’s atmosphere. In the tropics (where most companion birds’ ancestors originated) the sun’s light reaches the earth in its most undiluted form. In captivity we use various fluorescent lights to try to reproduce sunlight as closely as possible. The parts of sunlight we are most interested in reproducing are in the ultraviolet spectrum – in particular UV A and UV B light. It is a small segment of the UVB (sometimes referred to as “middle ultraviolet” light) that causes Vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Most people studying this agree that the UVB light needs to be somewhere between 290 and 310 nanometers in wavelength for this to occur and a Color Temperature of >5000 Kelvin. Less generally known are the benefits of another part of full spectrum lighting – those caused by UVA (also called “near ultraviolet”) light.
To be full spectrum, the light must closely resemble the sun’s natural light at noon when we are most biologically active. The light must have the all the wavelengths of visible light plus the biologically essential ultraviolet A and B to be called full spectrum, not just some of the wavelengths that create a partial spectrum or a distorted spectrum. All of the colors combine to produce a blue-white light. Manufacturers generally agree that the light emitted should be above 90 CRI, 5500 Kelvin to be called “full spectrum”. However, after manufacturing, some companies add 2 points to the CRI number because a stray bulb or tube may test that high. We don’t do that. Our bulbs and tubes test 95 CRI 5550 K. Our Light for Health Lights, called Indoor Sunshineª, come from the highest quality blend of several rare earth minerals or phosphors to produce a light that has the beneficial red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and even trace ultraviolet A & B. Our light is balanced to emit light
Full spectrum light is the name we give to the light produced by the sun after it passes through the earth’s atmosphere. In the tropics (where most pet birds originate) the sun’s light reaches the earth in its most undiluted form. In captivity we use various fluorescent lights to try to reproduce sunlight as closely as possible. The parts of sunlight we are most interested in reproducing are in the ultraviolet spectrum – in particular UV A and UV B light. The Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a scale developed to rate how closely an artificial light compares to natural sunlight at high noon. High noon sunlight is assigned a value of 100. No artificial light source attains a CRI of 100. Sunlight that passes through your homes windows has upward of 90% of the beneficial UV spectrum filtered out by that glass. Studies have even shown that 30% or more can be filtered out by the aluminum screening used in many homes.
