Re: [Phys-l] sun's true color

[Brian Whatcott <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>]

At 08:21 PM 8/24/2008, Anthony Lapinski, you wrote:
> 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.

Color is not an absolute quality: just ask a horse, a goldfish
 or a horse (and you can...)
It would be reasonable to suppose that we would take noon sunlight
on a clear day as our standard, no doubt: I imagine other animals
with different spectral sensitivities would have much the same
impression too. It is an achievement of optical science to be able to
depict the spectral intensity due the Sun, and compare it with
 the spectral sensitivity of our own eyes, and that of other animals.



Brian Whatcott    Altus OK    Eureka!