Light Bulbs That Are Equal to Sunlight

Light bulbs that simulate sunlight have important applications in photography, astrophysics, medical therapy and even in the car painting industry. Two main aspects determine the appearance of light and its similarity with sunlight: its temperature and its color rendering index. Warmer light sources are often used in public areas to help people relax, while cooler light is employed to increase concentration in offices and schools.

Photography Light Bulbs

• Light bulbs that simulate sunlight are used by photographers so colors in pictures appear natural. Different types of sunlight, such as early morning or early evening sunlight levels, are used to add warm glow to pictures. Electronic flashes, for example, are designed to produce a color temperature of 5,400 to 6,000 Kelvin --the average temperature of sunlight. Light sources of 10,000 to 15,000, on the other hand, can recreate the warmth of a clear blue sky.

Full Spectrum Light Bulbs

• Full spectrum light bulbs provide a high color rendering index, generally higher than 90, and imitate the color rendering index of the sun, which is 100. They do not contain ultraviolet light as a few minutes outside will provide you with your daily quota of ultraviolet and overexposure can harm your eyes and skin. Full spectrum light bulbs will not help you see better, but they can make things look brighter because full spectrum light bulbs cause surface colors to saturate.

Light Therapy

• Light therapy uses high-intensity full spectrum light bulbs of up to 10,000 lux illumination. According to New York's Columbia University, clinics using light therapy have had success in treating patients with seasonally affective disorder -- a winter depression caused by decreased sunlight. However, a report from the Lighting Research Center counters that full spectrum light will not provide better health than conventional light bulbs. The report claims research shows that the most important factor with seasonal affective disorder is the light and day, sleep and wake cycles, not the type of light we use.