|
|
 
Sunshine holidays
There are few places as goods as Cyprus for a guaranteed sunshine holiday, and
here at Avabreak we aim to find you the holiday property to help you maximise your enjoyment.
Sunlight in the broad sense is the total spectrum of electromagnetic radiation
given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered by the atmosphere, and the solar radiation is obvious as
daylight when the Sun is above the horizon. This is usually during the hours known as day. Near the poles in
summer, sunlight also occurs during the hours known as night and in the winter at the poles sunlight may not
occur at any time. When the direct radiation is not blocked by clouds, it is experienced as sunshine, a
combination of bright light and heat. Radiant heat directly produced by the radiation of the sun is different
from the increase in atmospheric temperature due to the radiative heating of the atmosphere by the sun's
radiation.
The World Meteorological Organization defines sunshine as direct irradiance from the Sun measured on the ground
of at least 120 W·m−2.
Direct sunlight gives about 93 lumens of illumination per watt of electromagnetic power, including infrared,
visible, and ultra-violet. This compares with the best fluorescent lights.
The sun's nuclear energy source was discovered by Hans Bethe.
Many people find direct sunlight to be too bright for comfort, especially when reading from white paper upon
which the sun is directly shining. Indeed, looking directly at the sun can cause permanent vision damage. To
compensate for the brightness of sunlight, many people wear sunglasses. Cars, many helmets and caps are equipped
with visors to block the sun from direct vision when the sun is at a low angle.
In colder countries many people prefer sunnier days and often avoid the shade. In hotter countries the converse
is true; during the midday hours many people prefer to stay inside to remain cool. If they do go outside, they
seek shade which may be provided by trees, parasols, and so on.
Sunshine is often blocked from entering buildings through the use of window blinds, awnings, shutters or
curtains.
Sunbathing
Sunbathing is popular for the cosmetic benefits of a sun tan, although there are also risks of cellular damage
to the skin.Sunbathing is a popular leisure activity in which a person sits or lies in direct sunshine. People
often sunbathe in comfortable places where there is ample sunlight. Some common places for sunbathing include
the beach, open air swimming pools, the park, the garden, and pavement (sidewalk) cafés. Sunbathers typically
wear limited amounts of clothing (such as swimsuits), or go topfree or simply go nude.
An alternative some use to sunbathing is to use a sunbed that generates ultraviolet light and can be used
indoors regardless of outdoor weather conditions and amount of sun light.
For many people with pale or brownish skin, an additional or primary purpose for sunbathing is to darken one's
skin color (get a sun tan) as this is considered in some cultures to be beautiful, associated with outdoor
activity, vacations or holidays, and health. Indeed, the body produces vitamin D from sunlight (specifically
from the UVB band of ultraviolet light), and excessive seclusion from the sun can lead to deficiency. An
additional reason that some people prefer nude sunbathing is that an "all-over" or "even" tan can be obtained.
Skin tanning is achieved by an increase in the dark pigment inside skin cells called melanocytes and it is
actually an automatic response mechanism of the body to excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun
or from artificial sunlamps. Thus, the tan gradually disappears with time, when one is no longer exposed to
these sources. The skin of Black and other dark-skinned people may represent an evolutionary advantage developed
a long time ago in races living in tropical areas, such as Africa.
[ Back ] [ Next ]
|
