----- Original Message -----
From: "Anthony Lapinski" <Anthony_Lapinski@pds.org>
To: <tap-l@lists.ncsu.edu>; <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 10:21 PM
Subject: [Phys-l] sun's true color
Does anyone know the actual color of the Sun? The Sun certainly appears
yellowish, and then Wein's Law can be used to calculate its surface
temperature (about 6000 °C). Textbooks confirm this result.
However, I read an article in Astronomy magazine that the Sun is actually
pure white. Our daytime sky is blue since our atmosphere scatters blue
light the most. This leaves sunlight with less blue and hence a yellowish
tint. The article said the color of snow closely matches the Sun's actual
color because snow reflects the sky's blueness as well as sunlight.