Myth or Fact: Is the Sun Yellow in Color?

When you think about the Sun, you might think about a bright yellow circle, reminiscent from your childhood drawings and textbook illustrations. But is this depiction scientifically accurate? The belief that the Sun is yellow is very popular, yet it is, in fact, a myth. Read along to explore the fascinating science behind the Sun’s true color and why our eyes often deceive us.

The Sun is a giant star at the core of our solar system, emitting energy in all the electromagnetic ranges. Its temperature on the surface is approximately 5,500 degrees Celsius (5,780 Kelvin), which shows that it lights up at every wavelength of visible light, from violet to red. When brought together, all these colors yield white light—a phenomenon first shown by Isaac Newton with a prism to disintegrate sunlight into its colors.

Why Does the Sun Look Yellow?

Even though the Sun tends to appear yellow, orange, or even red when seen from Earth,  it produces white light. The reason behind this is not the original color of the Sun but because of how sunlight reacts with our atmosphere. When sunlight travels through the Earth's atmosphere, it comes into contact with molecules and small particles that scatter shorter wavelengths of light (blues and violets) more effectively than longer wavelengths (reds and yellows). This effect is called Rayleigh scattering.

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The light that reaches our eyes consists mostly of red and yellow shades, since the violet and blue light is scattered. This makes the sun seem to be yellow, specifically during the sunset. In the absence of an atmosphere, such as when viewed from space, the Sun appears as it truly is: a brilliant white star.

The True Color of the Sun

The spectrum of the Sun peaks in the green region of the visible spectrum, but since it radiates almost equal amounts of all visible wavelengths, the net effect is white light. Human eyes percieve this balanced combination as white, not yellow or green. The yellow Sun illusion is also supported by artistic traditions, educational materials, and even some space images that artificially color the Sun for emphasis or clarity.

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Seeing the Sun's Actual Color

It is possible to see the Sun's actual color with a simple experiment. If you pass sunlight through a glass prism or a bowl of water, you can disperse it into a rainbow, demonstrating all the colors in sunlight. If you recombine the colors, you get white light, which proves that the Sun itself is not yellow but white.

The myth that the Sun is yellow has its origin in atmospheric phenomena and cultural representations. In fact, the Sun shines white light, which includes all the colors of the visible spectrum in almost equal proportions. Next time you glance up at the sky, remember: our Sun is a blinding white star, and its perceived color is influenced by the air we breathe and the physics of light.

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