The Sun's True Color

The sun emits all colors of light, which combine to appear white. If the sun were truly yellow, everything it illuminated, including snow, would appear yellow too.

Daylight and Snow

When you see snow, it appears white because it reflects all the colors of sunlight equally. If the sun's light were yellow, the snow would look yellow as well.

Sunset and Atmospheric Scattering

During sunset, the sun's light travels through more of the Earth's atmosphere, which contains dust and other particles. These particles scatter blue light out of the direct path to our eyes, making the sky appear blue and the sun look more yellow or red.

The Deep Yellow-Red Sun

The closer the sun is to the horizon, the more its light is scattered, removing more blue light and leaving behind the yellow and red hues. This is why the sun looks its deepest yellow-red when it is near the horizon.

Comparing Noon and Sunset Sunlight

At noon, the sun is high in the sky, and its light passes through less atmosphere, so it appears whiter. At sunset, the light travels through more atmosphere, scattering more blue light and making the sun look redder.

The Science of Light Scattering

The scattering of light by atmospheric particles is called Rayleigh scattering. This effect is more pronounced for shorter blue wavelengths, which is why blue light is scattered out and the remaining light looks yellow or red.

The next time you look up at the sky, remember that the sun’s true color is white. The beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds we see are all thanks to the way our atmosphere interacts with sunlight, creating a vibrant display for us to enjoy.

Stay tuned,

BREEFX ✨

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