Trivia Tuesday: Here comes the sun

Ah, the sun. The bringer of daylight, sunshine, warmth, and … radiation.

We don’t like to think of the sun, which is so crucial for life on earth, as a potential hazard, but we still know that it can be harmful to unprotected skin,

“Ah,” you think, “But I never burn, I just tan. The sun isn’t hurting me.” Or perhaps you think the time it will take to cause irreversible damage will be in several decades from now. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong on both counts.

The sun emits two kinds of UV (ultraviolet) rays: UVA and UVB, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. A good way to remember which is which? Think of the A in UVA as “aging,” because that’s what those rays do to your skin, and the B in UVB as “burning” since those are the rays that cause you to burn. And it doesn’t take much exposure to cause damage in the form of wrinkles, dryness, or even cancer.

A broad-spectrum sunscreen is the best way to protect your skin, since it protects from both kinds of UV rays. The sun is strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so especially during those hours, and throughout the summer months, be sure to put on sunscreen.

How long does it take for the sun’s rays to reach the earth?

Take a guess in the comments section and we’ll post the correct answer next week.

Answer to last week’s question: Salt.