From an early age, children begin to wonder why the sun is yellow. What is the reason for such a shade of the heavenly luminary? We will try to answer this question in our material.
General information
Before figuring out why we see the sun yellow, I would like to tell you what the celestial object actually is. The sun is the only star that acts as a source of endless energy for the system, which includes our and neighboring planets. According to scientists, this space object was formed about 4.5 billion years ago as a result of the explosion of a number of supernova stars. The star belongs to the category of yellow dwarfs. These include small stars whose surface is heated at a level of from 5, 000 to 6, 000 degrees Kelvin. The average age of such space objects is about 10 billion years.
The hue of the radiance that this or that star emits is determined by the degree of remoteness from the Earth, age, temperature, and also the specific chemical reactions that occur on the surface. Young luminaries emit the brightest glow. Such stars have a white tint with bluish tints. Star color is an important indicator for astrologers. Thanks to special instruments, scientists determine the composition, temperature, and other important points by performing the so-called spectral analysis. Cold stars are red. Hot painted in less saturated shades. In space, where there is no airspace, the sun looks like a completely white object.
Why is the sun yellow?
In the drawings, our heavenly body is always portrayed in yellow. In reality, a star emits a white glow. However, we see rays in a different spectrum. So why is the sun yellow? The reason is the presence on the planet of the atmosphere. When passing through this layer, a part of the spectrum of sunlight is absorbed. The rays are scattered, as a result of which their wavelength changes. This explains why the sun is yellow.
There is also another reason. Explain why the sun is yellow, you can special structure of our eyes. This perception is due to a specific optical effect. Against the blue sky, a star that actually has a white hue is recognized by the human eye in yellow tones. Our visual organ has such a structure that it can clearly distinguish only a few colors, such as red, green and blue. When looking at the sun, the pupils fix these shades. However, during the passage through the atmosphere, white rays combine with the blue spectrum. Colors mix somewhat in our perception. Thus, against the sky, the solar glow seems to us yellow.
When does the sun take on different shades?
So we found out why the sun is yellow. In fact, this is not always the case. The heavenly body can be painted in other shades. Sometimes we see it red as well as orange. Often there are similar effects during dawn or at sunset.
It is known that our planet revolves not only around its own axis, but also around the sun. Depending on the time of day and season, the Earth moves away from the star at a certain distance. During the journey, the rays to us have to overcome various distances in outer space. The length of light beams in combination with various indicators of the density of the earth's atmosphere - all this is reflected in a change in the shade of the sun, which is perceived by the human eye. The result is an orange or red hue.
The sun can also become neutral in color. Why is the sun white and the moon yellow? Usually this shade of the heavenly body has when it is at its zenith. In this case, the brightest glow is observed. As for the moon, it also never changes color. The bright yellow glow is due to the same perception of the object through the atmosphere, when the effect of refraction of the rays comes into effect.
