Myth or Fact: Is the Sun Yellow in Color?

When you think about the sun, you might consider a bright yellow circle that reminiscent of your childhood drawings and textbook illustrations. But is this description scientifically accurate? The belief that the sun is yellow is very popular, but it is actually a myth. Read to explore the fascinating science behind the true colors of the sun and why our eyes often deceive us.

The Sun is a giant star at the core of our solar system, emitting energy in all electromagnetic ranges. Its surface temperature is about 5500 degrees Celsius (5,780 Kelvin), indicating that it glows at every wavelength of visible light from violet to red. When brought together, all of these colors produce white light – Isaac Newton first demonstrated this phenomenon, with its prism disintegrating sunlight into color.

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Why does the sun look yellow?

Even if you see the sun from Earth tend to be yellow, orange, or even red, it will produce white light. The reason behind it is not the original color of the sun, but how the sunlight reacts to our atmosphere. As sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, it comes into contact with molecules and small particles that scatter light more efficiently (blue and violet) than more efficient wavelengths (red and yellow). This effect is called Rayleigh scattering.

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The light that reaches our eyes consists mainly of red and yellow shadows as purple and blue light scatters. This makes the sun look yellow, especially during sunset. In the absence of atmosphere, for example, when viewed from space, the sun looks real: a brilliant white star.

The true color of the sun

The sun’s spectrum peaks in the green region of the visible spectrum, but because it radiates almost equal to all visible wavelengths, the net effect is white light. The human eye treats this combination of balance as white, not yellow or green. The yellow sun hallucination is also supported by artistic traditions, educational materials, and even obtained some artificially colored spatial images of the sun for focus or clarity.

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See the actual color of the sun

Through simple experiments, you can see the actual color of the sun. If you pass the sun through a glass prism or a bowl of water, you can spread it into a rainbow to display in all the colors under the sun. If you recombine the colors, you get a white light, which proves that the sun itself is not yellow but white.

The myth that the sun is yellow originates from atmospheric phenomena and cultural representations. In fact, the sunlight illuminates the white light, which includes almost equal proportions of all colors of the visible spectrum. The next time you glance at the sky, remember: Our sun is a blind white star whose perceived color is affected by the air and light we breathe.

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Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Optical Illusion