Why can't we see electromagnetic waves?

The electromagnetic spectrum is a map of all the types of light that we can identify. ... There are many kinds of electromagnetic waves that you can't see. Just look at the spectrum below. What is a "detector"? When we talk about a "light detector", we are referring to any instrument that detects electromagnetic radiation. read more

) and that you can focus to resolve things on a useful scale. read more

There are people who can see beyond the visible spectrum of light, but it is rare and not something that natural selection selected for, since it doesn't have any obvious benefit. Think of it like the radio in your car that you use to listen to music. read more

Visible light is the light that we can see, and thus is the only light detectable by the human eye. White light is visible light, and it contains all the colors of the rainbow, from red to violet. The range of visible wavelengths is 400 to 700 nanometers. read more