The
World Full of Colour Whose Gates are Opened by
Electrons
70% of the rays reaching our earth from
the sun are just appropriate for the existence
of life on the earth.70% of the rays reaching
our earth from the sun are just appropriate
for the existence of life on the earth.
|
Have you ever thought what it would be like to live
in a world without colour? Try to visualise your
body, the people around you, the seas, the sky,
trees, flowers, in short, everything in black. You
would never want to live in such a world, would
you? What makes
the earth colourful? How do the colours, which
make our world so extraordinarily beautiful, come
into being?
Certain characteristics
present in the nature of matter allow us perceive
objects in colour. Colours are formed as a natural
result of certain motions of the electrons inside
the atom. You may think "What do the motions
of electrons have to do with colours?" Let's
briefly explain this relationship:
Electrons revolve only in electron shells. We
just mentioned that there are 7 electron shells.
Each electron shell has a specific level of energy,
which varies depending on the distance of the
shell from the nucleus. The closer an electron
shell is to the nucleus, the less energy its electrons
have, and the farther it is to the nucleus, the
more energy its electrons have.
Each electron shell has "sub-shells",
among which the electrons of that shell continuously
move.
An electron needs to receive
external energy to be able to travel outwards
between the shells. The source of this energy
is the "photon".
In its simplest terms,
the photon is a "light particle". Every
star in the universe is a source of photons. The
most important source of photons for our world
is, of course, the sun. Photons are diffused throughout
space from the sun at a speed of 300,000 km a
second.
The superior
design in the formation of colours leads
us to a single fact: the universe has
been created in a great harmony and
order from its smallest to its largest
particles. The artistry in the colours
is one of the signs of Allah's perfect
creation. |
When these photons, arriving on earth from the
sun, strike the atoms of objects on earth, the
electrons of atoms sometimes begin their travel.
If the electrons that are able to travel by the
help of this energy rise to a higher energy shell
and then return to their own shell, they emit
a photon that is to form the colour that will
meet our eye. Each one of these processes summarized
in the few sentences above has been continuing
since the outset of creation without fail. Every
step runs under a great plan and to order. If
only one part of this interaction between electrons
and photons had not worked, this would cause a
colourless, dark universe.
Let us again list these steps that have to work
according to plan and in order for the formation
of a universe with colours instead of a dark one.
- Light coming from the
sun to the earth diffuses in the form of photon
particles. These photon particles scattered
around the earth strike atoms of matters.
- Photons cannot travel a long way inside the
atoms. They strike the electrons circling the
nucleus.
- Electrons absorb these
photons that strike them.
-When the electrons take in the energy of the
photons they absorb, they jump to another shell
having a higher level of energy.
-These electrons try
to return to their original states.
- As they return to their
own shells, they emit an energy charged photon.
-These photons emitted
by the electrons determine the colour of that
object.
To sum
up, the colour of an object in fact consists of
a mixture of these light particles that are absorbed,
then emitted by this object, and reach our eyes.
The colour of an object that does not emit light
itself but reflects the light it receives from
the sun depends both on the light it receives
and the change it makes on this light. If the
object illuminated with white light appears "red",
this is because it absorbs a large portion of
the mixture that arrives to it from the sunrays
and emits only red. By saying "it absorbs",
we mean the following:
As mentioned before, every shell has sub-shells
and electrons travel between these sub-shells.
Each shell corresponds to a specific level of
energy, and electrons carry as much energy as
allowed by the energy level of the shell on which
they circle. Shells that are more distant from
the nucleus, have higher energy. When a space
for one electron becomes available in an upper
shell, the electron suddenly disappears, and then
re-appears again in that sub-shell with higher
energy level. Yet, in order for the electron to
perform this, it has to raise its energy level
to the level required by the shell to which it
jumps. The electron increases its energy level
by absorbing (swallowing) photon particles coming
from the sun.
We can make the situation clearer with a few examples.
Let us consider the Morpho Butterfly. The pigments
on the butterfly absorb the entire sunlight re-emitting
only the colour blue. When the light particles
for that reflected colour reach the retina in
the eye, they are converted to electrical signals
by the cone cells in the retina in such a way
to be perceived as blue and sent to the brain.
Eventually, the colour blue is formed in the brain.
This means that the colour of an object depends
on the character of the light emitted from the
light source and how much of this light is re-emitted
by the object in question. For instance, the colour
of a dress is not the same under sunlight and
in a store. If an object is perceived as black
by our brain, it means that this object absorbs
all the light coming from the sun reflecting none
to the outside. In the same manner, if the object
reflects all light coming from the sun and does
not absorb any of it, then it is perceived as
white by our brain. In this case, the points that
need careful consideration are the following:
1. The colour of an object depends on the properties
of the light emitted by the light source.
2. The colour of an object depends on the reaction
of the electrons of the molecules in its structure,
as to which light these electrons will absorb
and which they will not.
3. The colour of an object depends on how our
brain will perceive the photon striking the retina.
Here, let us stop and think once more.
The electrons
that revolve at incredible speed around the nucleus
of the atom, which is a matter too small to be
seen with the eye, suddenly disappear from their
own shells and jump to another place called a
sub-shell. There also needs to be a space available
on the sub-shell for this leap. They are supplied
the energy they require during the process by
absorbing photons. They then go back to their
original orbits. During this action, colours perceivable
by the human eye are formed. What's more, atoms
in number expressible in trillions keep doing
this every moment, thanks to which we are able
to view an uninterrupted "image".
This magnificent mechanism is not comparable to
the operation of any man-made machine. A clock,
for instance, has a highly complex mechanism in
itself, and all the parts of a clock (gears, discs,
screws, nuts, etc.) must be located in the right
places in the right way for a clock to work properly.
The smallest problem in this mechanism would impede
the mechanism of the clock. Yet, when we think
of the structure of an atom and how the abovementioned
mechanism of the electrons works, the simplicity
of the structure of a clock is better understood.
As we said, the mechanism of the electrons is
too complex, perfect and flawless to be compared
to any man-made system. Definitely, a system that
has such mind-boggling complexity and runs so
perfectly could not have come about spontaneously,
as a result of coincidence, as claimed by materialist
scientists. Let us now ask the following question:
if you saw a working clock on the ground while
walking in a desert, would you think that this
had formed out of dust, sand, soil and stones
by chance? Nobody would think that, because the
design and wisdom in the clock are all too obvious.
However the design and wisdom in a single atom
are, as we mentioned above, incomparably superior
to those in any man-made mechanism. The owner
of this wisdom is Allah, Who has supreme knowledge,
Who knows, sees and creates everything.
Allah created every 'where' both that which we
are able to see and that which we cannot, with
boundless artistry and He gave innumerable favours
to be at our service, whether we are aware of
them or not. The subject of colours about which
we previously knew nothing, and felt no need to
learn, has been brought to our attention in all
its details and complexity as science advanced.
It is undeniable that scientific development and
progress ought to cause everyone who uses his
wisdom and conscience to believe in the existence
of Allah. Nonetheless, people still exist who
ignore the superior artistry and wisdom observable
at every point in the universe. The acclaimed
scientist, Louis Pasteur made an interesting remark
on this subject saying "Little science takes
you away from God but more of it takes you to
Him".1
As a person
learns more about the examples of creation surrounding
him, he grasps much better that Allah encompasses
him from every direction, He directs all affairs
in heaven and earth, and holds everything under
control. He understands that his life will certainly
be taken and he will be answerable for everything
he has done on earth. As a believer becomes more
acquainted with the innumerable phenomena taking
place around him, his admiration for Allah's knowledge
increasingly grows. This admiration is a very
important step on the way to perceiving the infinite
power and might of Allah as much as possible and
fearing Him as required. This is stated in the
Qur'an:
Do you
not see that Allah sends down water from the
sky and by it We bring forth fruits of varying
colours? And in the mountains there are streaks
of white and red, of varying shades, and rocks
of deep jet black. And mankind and beasts and
livestock are likewise of varying colours. Only
those of His slaves with knowledge have fear
of Allah. Allah is Almighty, Ever-Forgiving.
(Surah Fatir: 27-28)
|
