the rays from the sun are called "god rays" when referring to the electromagnetic radiation from the sun that is not blocked by clouds.
what are the rays from the sun called when referring to the electromagnetic radiation from the sun that is not blocked by clouds?
"god rays"
sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. on earth, sunlight is filtered through earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when the sun is above the horizon. when the direct solar radiation is not blocked by clouds, it is experienced as sunshine, a combination of bright light and radiant heat. when it is blocked by clouds or reflects off other objects, it is experienced as diffused light. the world meteorological organization uses the term "sunshine duration" to mean the cumulative time during which an area receives direct irradiance from the sun of at least 120 watts per square meter. other sources indicate an "average over the entire earth" of "164 watts per square meter over a 24 hour day".
sunlight
wilhelm röntgen discovered x-rays in 1895, just as the studies of crystal symmetry were being concluded. physicists were initially uncertain of the nature of x-rays, but soon suspected (correctly) that they were waves of electromagnetic radiation—in other words, another form of light. at that time, the wave model of light—specifically, the maxwell theory of electromagnetic radiation—was well accepted among scientists, and experiments by charles glover barkla showed that x-rays exhibited phenomena associated with electromagnetic waves, including transverse polarization and spectral lines akin to those observed in the visible wavelengths. single-slit experiments in the laboratory of arnold sommerfeld suggested that x-rays had a wavelength of about 1 angstrom. however, x-rays are composed of photons, and thus are not only waves of electromagnetic radiation but also exhibit particle-like properties. albert einstein introduced the photon concept in 1905, but it was not broadly accepted until 1922, when arthur compton confirmed it by the scattering of x-rays from electrons. therefore, these particle-like properties of x-rays, such as their ionization of gases, caused william henry bragg to argue in 1907 that x-rays were "not" electromagnetic radiation. nevertheless, bragg's view was not broadly accepted and the observation of x-ray diffraction by max von laue in 1912 confirmed for most scientists that x-rays were a form of electromagnetic radiation.
x-ray crystallography