The Sun would have to emit only green light for our eyes to perceive it as green. This means the actual colour of the Sun is white. So, why does it generally look yellow? This is because the Earth's atmosphere scatters blue light more efficiently than red light.
Learn what color the Sun is and why it appears different colors from Space, the Earth, and in photographs. The color of the sun reveals a range of information about our star including the stages of its life and how it interacts with the atmosphere of Earth. Sunglight is composed of colors from violet to red (abbreviated as VIBGYOR).
Violet has the lowest wavelength and red has the highest wavelength. Combinedly, this forms a white color, which is the net color of the Sun. The sun is white-kind of.
It depends on your interpretation of color, the way colors work, the way our eyes see and, just as importantly, the air we see through. If you have ever used a solar filter or eclipse glasses you would have seen the Sun looking orange or perhaps some other colour. This is just the filter colour, not the Sun's real colour.
Likewise, coloured photos of the Sun from NASA and other space agencies are coloured with filters and other processing. In conclusion, while the sun may appear yellow to us on Earth due to atmospheric scattering, its true color is white, reflecting the broad spectrum of light it emits. Understanding the sun's color helps us appreciate the complex interactions between light and our atmosphere.
Think the Sun is yellow? Think again. Discover the true color of our star and why it looks so different from Earth's surface. Discover the sun's surprising true color, the atmospheric science behind its yellow appearance, and its role in Earth's vibrant hues.
"The 'color of the sun' is the spectrum of colors present in sunlight, which arises from a complex interplay of all parts of the sun.".