The Sun isn't yellow. It's actually white!
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The Sun isn't really yellow. Its light is a mix of every color of the rainbow, and together those colors look white, which is how the Sun looks from space. Earth's air scatters away some of the blue light, so from the ground the Sun looks yellowish, and orange or even red at sunset, when its light crosses much more air. Funny thing: astronomers still call it a yellow dwarf star.
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Transcript
- Tiggy The Sun isn't yellow. It's white.
- Sef White? But I always paint it yellow!
- Tiggy Sunlight is every color of the rainbow.
- Tiggy Mixed together, they look white.
- Tiggy That's how it looks from space.
- Sef So who made it yellow?
- Tiggy Earth's air! It scatters away some blue, so the Sun looks yellowish.
- Tiggy At sunset, light crosses more air. The Sun looks orange, even red.
- Tiggy Funny thing? Astronomers still call it a yellow dwarf.
Sources
- NASA Space Place: Why Is the Sky Blue? spaceplace.nasa.gov
- NASA Goddard: What Color is the Sun? science.gsfc.nasa.gov
- Stanford Solar Center: What Color is the Sun? solar-center.stanford.edu
- NASA: Sun Facts science.nasa.gov
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