MythBuster: The Sun is Yellow
You’ve seen it in crayon drawings, children’s books, and even emojis: the Sun is always depicted as a big, bright yellow circle. But is the Sun actually yellow? Let’s shine some light on this cosmic myth and uncover the truth!
The Truth: The Sun is White
Surprise! The Sun isn’t yellow—it’s white. If you could view it from space (safely, of course, because staring at the Sun is a big no-no), you’d see it as a brilliant white star. So, why does it look yellow to us on Earth? Blame it on our atmosphere.
When sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, it collides with air molecules, dust, and other particles. This scatters shorter wavelengths of light, like blue and violet, in all directions. This phenomenon, called Rayleigh scattering, is also why the sky looks blue. The remaining light that reaches our eyes appears more yellow or orange, especially during sunrise and sunset when the Sun’s light travels through even more atmosphere.
But wait, what about the sun’s color spectrum?
The Sun emits light across the entire visible spectrum, from red to violet, and even beyond what our eyes can see (like ultraviolet and infrared). When all these colors combine, they create white light. Think of it like a cosmic rainbow mashed together into one dazzling glow.
Why Do We Think the Sun is Yellow?
The yellow Sun myth is partly due to how we experience it. During the day, when the Sun is high in the sky, it often appears as a pale yellow or even white-ish disc. But our brains, influenced by cultural depictions and the warm hues of sunrise and sunset, tend to remember it as yellow. Plus, let’s be honest, a yellow Sun just looks friendlier in cartoons than a blinding white one.
☀️ Fun Fact: The sun’s color changes with location.
If you were standing on the Moon, which has no atmosphere, the Sun would appear as a stark white orb against the blackness of space. On Mars, with its thin, dusty atmosphere, the Sun might look slightly reddish. So, the Sun’s apparent color depends on where you’re viewing it from.
What about other stars? Stars come in a variety of colors, from red to blue, depending on their temperature. Cooler stars, like red dwarfs, glow red, while hotter stars, like blue giants, shine with a bluish hue. Our Sun, with a surface temperature of about 5,500°C (9,932°F), sits comfortably in the middle, emitting white light.
So, Can We Keep Drawing the Sun as Yellow?
Absolutely! While science tells us the Sun is white, there’s no harm in sticking with the cheerful yellow version in art and storytelling. After all, a white Sun might not have the same warm, sunny vibe we all love in a child’s drawing of a perfect day!
Did you miss our March MythBuster? Read MythBuster: Left brain vs. right brain here! Stay tuned for next month’s myth.