UV Radiation: good and bad

UV (which stands for Ultra Violet) is high energy and short wavelength electro-magnetic radiation just past the violet end of the visible spectrum. UV is what gives you vitamin D and a tan... and a sunburn... and, well, skin cancer.  It's a case of a little being ok but too much being pretty bad. Like bacon.

Keeping your cool

You can do some things to reduce your UV exposure while still enjoying the nice weather (and getting that all-important vitamin D). Here are a few:

  • wear long sleeves,
  • wear a hat, and
  • use adequate strength sunscreen.

You can get an idea of what to do by checking the UV forecast for your area. That will give you an indication of what the relative strength of the UV radiation will be. In the US, the EPA makes this information available online at https://enviro.epa.gov/enviro/uv_hourly?zipcode=10014. Note that you need to change the zipcode argument to reflect where you are.

They also provide that information via an API with multiple response formats, one of which is formatted as JSON data.

In this project we'll use that to fetch current UV index data and display it on a PyPortal screen.

Parts

Front view of a Adafruit PyPortal - CircuitPython Powered Internet Display with a pyportal logo image on the display.
PyPortal, our easy-to-use IoT device that allows you to create all the things for the “Internet of Things” in minutes. Make custom touch screen interface...
$54.95
In Stock
Assembled PyPortal in acrylic enclosure
PyPortal is our easy-to-use IoT device that allows you to create all the things for the “Internet of Things” in minutes. Create little pocket...
$9.95
In Stock

Choose your USB cable color and length

USB cable - USB A to Micro-B - 3 foot long
This here is your standard A to micro-B USB cable, for USB 1.1 or 2.0. Perfect for connecting a PC to your Metro, Feather, Raspberry Pi or other dev-board or...
$2.95
In Stock
USB Cable with Type A and Micro B ends
This is your standard USB A-Plug to Micro-USB cable. It's 2 meters long so you'll have plenty of cord to work with for those longer extensions.
$4.95
In Stock

This guide was first published on Aug 14, 2019. It was last updated on Mar 18, 2024.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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