Reptile Lamp Database

Spectrum 2: SUN Edit
Delete

Full Spectrum

EN 60904-3: solar reference spectrum
solar angle: 37°

Measurement

Brand other
other
Lamp Product Sun
Direct sunlight
Lamp ID SUN (01/2000)
Spectrometer -
Ballast - no ballast or default/unknown ballast -
Reflector
Distance 0 cm
Age 0 hours
Originator (measurement) Publication
Database entry created: Sarina Wunderlich 8/Nov/2009 ; updated: Sarina Wunderlich 9/Oct/2011

Colorimetry

Colorimetry is the science to describe physically the human color perception. The wavelength range 380 nm - 780 nm is visible to humans and detected by three different photoreceptors. Many Reptiles see the range 350 nm - 800 nm and have an additional UV photoreceptor in their retina.

Spectrum in the visible wavelength range

Whereas a spectrometer measures the intensity in every tiny wavelength interval resulting in thousands of individual intensities, the human eye only measures three intensities detected by the three cones. The same is true for the reptile eye with usually three or four photoreceptors. Effectively the detailled spectrum displayed above reduces to a much compacter bar graph displayed below. The photoreceptor sensitivites from these L-Cone, M-Cone, S-Cone, and U-Cone are used, they are chosen as an average of measured reptile photoreceptor sensitivity curves. The bar graph also shows as reference the intensity seen by the three or four photoreceptors for average sunlight (id 1).

From these three numbers the colour coordinate and the correlated colour temperature for humans are calculated using the CIE standard method. I adapted this concept to a "3 cone reptile (M,S,U)" and a "4 cone reptile (L,M,S,U)". I am sure, that this adaption to other colour spaces makes sense mathematically and this is also done in scientific research regarding colour vision of animals, however I have not seen calculation of colour temperatures for other animals in the scientific literature. Even if it is hypothetical, at least this shows, how arbitrary the colour temperature is, and that the colour temperature calculated for humans does not apply to reptiles. The colour spaces also show the colour coordinates of different phases of daylight ((ids 1, 338451, 511513 ), indicated by crosses, coloured in the appriximate colour perceived by a human.

Human (CIE) 3 cone reptile 4 cone reptile
Cone Excitation
Colour Coordinate ( 0.32 ; 0.34 ) ( 0.42 ; 0.36 ) ( 0.28 ; 0.3 ; 0.26 )
CCT 5900 Kelvin 4600 Kelvin 5100 Kelvin
distance 0.023 0.032
colour space 3-D-graph not implemented yet

Vitamin D3 Analysis

Vitamin D3 is produced by UVB radiation around 300 nm. 7DHC/ProD3 present in the skin is converted to PreD3 when absorbing an UV photon. PreD3 can be converted back to ProD3, to Lumisterol, or to Tachysterol when absorbing another UV photon or can be converted to Vitamin D3 in a warm environment.

This process prevents any overdose of vitamin D3 from UV radiation with a spectrum similar to sunlight. As a comparison the solar spectra at 20°(id:14) and at 85°(id:21) solar angle are shown.

Spectrum in the vitamin D3 active wavelength range

The ratio of the two solarmeters 6.2 (UVB) and 6.5 (UV index) readings has proven a useful and very simply number to acess the spectral shape in the vitamin-d3-active region.

Effective Irradiances

Effective irradiances are calculated for all ranges, actionspectra and radiometers currently present in this database.

The calculation method is a numerical implementation (Simpson's rule) of the formula

To learn more about calculating effective irradiances and radiometers I recommend this excellent report on UVB meters: Characterizing the Performance of Integral Measuring UV-Meters (pdf).

The numbers in the following tables can also be used to estimate certain (effective) irradiances from radiomer readings. Example: If the database lists

  • range: UVB (US) = 13.8 µW/cm²
  • radiometer: Solarmeter 6.2 = 19.6 µW/cm²
then any Solarmeter 6.2 reading multiplied with 0.7 (0.7=13.8/19.6) is an estimate of UVB irradiance for this specific lamp. If you do so, always make sure, that the calculated (effective) irradiance is valid. The calculated value is not valid, if the lamp's spectrum is not measured in the relevant range.

Ranges
total ( 0 nm - 0 nm) 59300 µW/cm² = 593 W/m²
UVC ( 0 nm - 280 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
non-terrestrial ( 0 nm - 290 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
total2 ( 250 nm - 880 nm) 59300 µW/cm² = 593 W/m²
UVB (EU) ( 280 nm - 315 nm) 49.1 µW/cm² = 0.491 W/m²
UVB (US) ( 280 nm - 320 nm) 121 µW/cm² = 1.21 W/m²
UVA+B ( 280 nm - 380 nm) 3020 µW/cm² = 30.2 W/m²
Solar UVB ( 290 nm - 315 nm) 49.1 µW/cm² = 0.491 W/m²
UVA D3 regulating ( 315 nm - 335 nm) 539 µW/cm² = 5.39 W/m²
UVA (EU) ( 315 nm - 380 nm) 2970 µW/cm² = 29.7 W/m²
UVA2 (medical definition) ( 320 nm - 340 nm) 671 µW/cm² = 6.71 W/m²
UVA (US) ( 320 nm - 380 nm) 2900 µW/cm² = 29 W/m²
UVA1 (variant) ( 335 nm - 380 nm) 2430 µW/cm² = 24.3 W/m²
UVA1 (medical) ( 340 nm - 400 nm) 3790 µW/cm² = 37.9 W/m²
vis. UVA ( 350 nm - 380 nm) 1780 µW/cm² = 17.8 W/m²
VIS Rep3 ( 350 nm - 600 nm) 32300 µW/cm² = 323 W/m²
VIS Rep4 ( 350 nm - 700 nm) 45400 µW/cm² = 454 W/m²
purple ( 380 nm - 420 nm) 3840 µW/cm² = 38.4 W/m²
VIS ( 380 nm - 780 nm) 51300 µW/cm² = 513 W/m²
PAR ( 400 nm - 700 nm) 42000 µW/cm² = 420 W/m²
blue ( 420 nm - 490 nm) 10100 µW/cm² = 101 W/m²
green ( 490 nm - 575 nm) 13700 µW/cm² = 137 W/m²
yellow ( 575 nm - 585 nm) 1460 µW/cm² = 14.6 W/m²
orange ( 585 nm - 650 nm) 7790 µW/cm² = 77.9 W/m²
red ( 650 nm - 780 nm) 14300 µW/cm² = 143 W/m²
IRA ( 700 nm - 1400 nm) 12600 µW/cm² = 126 W/m²
IRB ( 1400 nm - 3000 nm) 0 µW/cm² = 0 W/m²
Actionspectra
Erythema 2.59 UV-Index
Pyrimidine dimerization of DNA 38.5 µW/cm²
Photoceratitis 2.64 µW/cm²
Photoconjunctivitis 0 µW/cm²
DNA Damage 0.0531
Vitamin D3 6.73 µW/cm²
Photosynthesis 28700 µW/cm²
Luminosity 114000 lx
Human L-Cone 16900 µW/cm²
Human M-Cone 14300 µW/cm²
Human S-Cone 8190 µW/cm²
CIE X 14900 µW/cm²
CIE Y 15800 µW/cm²
CIE Z 15200 µW/cm²
PAR 179000000 mol photons
Extinction preD3 121 e-3*m²/mol
Extinction Tachysterol 465 e-3*m²/mol
Exctincition PreD3 72900 m²/mol
Extinction Lumisterol 1.79 m²/mol
Exctincition Tachysterol 920000 m²/mol
Extinction 7DHC 0.753 m²/mol
L-Cone 14300 µW/cm²
M-Cone 15500 µW/cm²
S-Cone 13300 µW/cm²
U-Cone 7970 µW/cm²
UVR - ICNIRP 2004 1.3 Rel Biol Eff
Melatonin Supression 12700 µW/cm²
Blue Light Hazard 9220 µW/cm² (81 µW/cm² per 1000 lx)
CIE 174:2006 PreVit D3 7.47 µW/cm²
Lumen Reptil 119000 "pseudo-lx"
Vitamin D3 Degradation 23.9 µW/cm²
Actinic UV 1.3 µW/cm² (0.114 mW/klm)
Exctincition Lumisterol 9000 m²/mol
Exctincition 7DHC 2400 m²/mol
Exctincition Toxisterols 20300 m²/mol
Broadbandmeters
Solarmeter 6.2 (UVB, pre 2010) 198 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.5 (UV-Index, pre 2010) 2.8
Leybold UVB 121 µW/cm²
Leybold UVA 2150 µW/cm²
Leybold UVC 0 µW/cm²
DeltaOhm UVB 573 µW/cm²
DeltaOhm UVC 31.9 µW/cm²
Vernier UVB 22.8 µW/cm²
Vernier UVA 1810 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVA 2430 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVB 51.3 µW/cm²
Gröbel UVC -0.0303 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.4 (D3) 8.74 IU/min
UVX-31 682 µW/cm²
IL UVB 0.104 µW/cm²
IL UVA 2580 µW/cm²
Solarmeter 6.5 (UVI, post 2010) 2.53 UV-Index
Solarmeter 6.2 (UVB, post 2010) 155 µW/cm² (Solarmeter Ratio = 61)
Solarmeter AlGaN 6.5 UVI sensor 48 UV Index
GenUV 7.1 UV-Index 3.7 UV-Index
Solarmeter 10.0 (Global Power) 661 W/m²
Solarmeter 4.0 (UVA) 44.1 mW/cm²
LS122 3.72 W/m²
ISM400 561 W/m²