The scientific study of rays, especially light rays and their chemical or biological effects.
From actino- (Greek aktis 'ray') + -ology (Greek -logia 'study of'). Developed in the 18th-19th centuries as scientists investigated light's mysterious properties.
Actinology was the Victorian-era science of studying light—before photography, chemistry, and medicine fully understood light's power, actinologists were discovering that light could bleach colors and affect living organisms!
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