Researchers Say The Universe Is A Specific Color & It’s Not Black
Design: YourTango | Photo: maurusone from Getty Images, CanvaNearly 50 years after the moon landing, the astronauts on Artemis II returned safely from their successful lunar voyage, and space and its infinite depths are on everyone's minds. The biggest question has everyone wondering what it all looks like.
When most people think of the universe, they likely imagine that it is an infinite pool of blackness, peppered with stars here and there. Or maybe they envision it to be a colorful mix of galaxies, planets, and stars, vibrant and beautiful. But researchers say the color of the universe is less complex than you may have thought.
Researchers say the color of the universe isn't black but an almost off-white they have named cosmic latte.
According to scientists Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry, the universe is not black like we might imagine. In fact, the color of the universe is a beigeish-white color.
And if you’re looking to get specific, the exact RGB color is #FFF8E7.
What's even funnier, Glazebrook and Baldry initially miscalculated, predicting the universe would look turquoise to the naked eye, but as Baldry joked, “As it turns out, if you look at all the light in the universe from a room that has a red neon light, then it may appear turquoise. But that’s not a standard perspective.”
The researchers began their work on the universe's color by imagining the sky blurred together, like a smeared painting.
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To determine what color the universe is, scientists asked themselves what color the sky would be if all of the colors were smeared and blended together. The question arose when they were looking for common stars in galaxies nearby.
To come up with a color, astronomers computationally averaged light emitted from a bigger sample of galaxies they had analyzed, the 200,000 galaxies of the 2dF galaxy redshift survey. This produced a cosmic spectrum with emission across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, yet a single perceived composite color.
Over the past 10 billion years, the color of the universe has become less blue, an indication that there are more red stars in the galaxy.
Scientists had a contest to come up with a new name for the color of the universe because, let’s face it, #FFF8E7 does not easily roll off the tongue. There were several good entries for the name, such as skyvory, univeige, Big Bang Buff/Blush/Beige, and cappuccino cosmico, but in the end, they settled for one we can all get behind: cosmic latte.
"Cosmic latte" is based on the Italian word for milk. The entire research team was polled in order to name the color. (One of the name suggestions I'm personally glad did not make the cut was primordial clam chowder.)
If you’re confused by the research process to determine the universe's color, let's break it down to layman’s terms.
The visible light from all of the luminous celestial bodies was measured to determine the average color. “But the universe is black,” you might say. That is a logical theory since the night sky appears to be black to the human eye. But according to Baldry, black is not a color, but is the absence of color.
Instead, the color of the universe was determined by calculating the visible light produced by stars and galaxies throughout the universe, extending for light-years.
Even TikTok has caught on to how interesting this entire process is, with many science lovers taking to the platform to explain the findings.
The vastness of space is undeniably fascinating, and the fact that modern technology has taken space exploration to new heights has us all looking to the stars with a little more wonder than usual. Now, we even have a more realistic picture to conjure in our mind's eye.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle, entertainment, and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.
