So let's set out on the little historical trail that helped me find the Sun's color. It was one of the following choices that got me onto the pathway of colorful enlightenment for our Sun! Can you guess which one it was?

Nope, this isn't what started the quest. Nevertheless, there are software programs that allow users to draw the spectrum of any object, and it will produce a net color result that the eye might behold. However, their color accuracy is limited. [Perhaps there are some that are accurate, but I haven’t been introduced to one yet.]

Please go back and try another passage across the color divide.

Nope...

Gazing at magnificent sunsets, you would think we might ask what the Sun's true color really is, unless, of course, it is already understood to be yellow, or some other color. Are we not somewhat preconditioned into assuming a color for the Sun?

South Texas sunset

Please go back and try another passage across the great color divide.

The Sun from SOHO: a special filter is used.

Yep. Surprisingly such an article was written, and it was very interesting as it explained many things including how the eye works. But this was contradictory to what I thought astronomers believed. For me, it triggered the idea that even astronomers might not really know for sure. Even more surprising is that most astronomers can explain why green stars are not even supposed to exist! [More on this later.]

Soon after reading the well, green Sun article, I purchased Dr. Phil Plait's book, "Bad Astronomy", which indicated that it is white but may, nevertheless, look yellow to our eyes. In other words, things that reflect sunlight, such as the clouds and the Moon look white, yet the Sun appeared to look yellow to him and most others. He also stated that the strongest color from the Sun is green, and I have seen this stated by several others, too. This is not the case, as we will learn later. It seemed clear that there was no clear scientific determination that removed ambiguous color ideas for our amazingly bright host star. But Phil is one dynamic astronomer, so I thought maybe I might be able to tackle this problem and contribute something... just maybe.

So let's keeping asking, "What color is the Sun, really?" Keep going as the answer and a surprise awaits you at the end of your journey.

Nope, and my wife and I have four kids! (When you throw a kid in as an answer, many assume that it just has to be the right answer.



Yet, why don't kids ask this question? I suspect they are content with the idea of a yellow or an orange Sun due to their numerous uses of crayons in coloring the Sun, not to mention almost every magazine and TV show depicts the Sun as a bright yellow or orange ball. It simply is not a mystery that one might assume exists, apparently!