SPARK July 2015 | Page 13

US Nav y / Greg Vojtko ic! ast ant tF igh L The International Ye ar of Light is a world wide event to teach everyone th e importance of light technology in their lives now an d in the future. Ligh t has changed science, medicine, an d led to communicat ion at mind-boggling spee d over the internet. On these pages we’ll lo ok at lasers which are man-made light s, and auroras which are natural lights. Lasers Lasers are an amazin g piece of modern te chnology. They are powerful beams of light used in CDs an d DVD players, and in supermarkets to read the barcodes on the back of food packaging. They ’re also used by metal workers to cut metal into intricate sh apes and by doctors specialising in eye surgery. In space, lasers have even been sent to Mars! 12 SPARK 13