Visible spectrum
![White light is dispersed by a prism into the colors of the visible spectrum.](/Images/godic/202502/20/Light_dispersion_of_a_mercury-vapor_lamp_with_a_flint_glass_prism_IPNr°01255607.jpg")
![Newton's color circle, from Opticks of 1704, showing the colors correlated with musical notes. The spectral colors from red to violet are divided by the notes of the musical scale, starting at D. The circle completes a full octave, from D to D. Newton's circle places red, at one end of the spectrum, next to violet, at the other. This reflects the fact that non-spectral purple colors are observed when red and violet light are mixed.](/Images/godic/202502/20/Newton's_color_circle5607.png")
![Newton's observation of prismatic colors (David Brewster 1855)](/Images/godic/202502/20/Newton_prismatic_colours5607.JPG")
![Rough plot of Earth's atmospheric opacity to various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light](/Images/godic/202502/20/Atmospheric_electromagnetic_opacity.svg5607.png")
The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light. A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 390 to 700 nm. In terms of frequency, this corresponds to a band in the vicinity of 430–770 THz.