Planck's Law, Color & Sun: Can We See It Greener?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the perception of sunlight color, specifically whether the sun can appear greener under ideal conditions, such as in space without atmospheric interference. It references Planck's Law and Wien's Law to analyze the peak wavelengths emitted by the sun. The conversation highlights the distinction between measuring electromagnetic wave intensity versus counting photons of specific wavelengths, noting that devices typically measure intensity, while human perception may differ. The inquiry into the differences in distributions of these measurements is also emphasized.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Planck's Law and Wien's Law
  • Basic knowledge of electromagnetic wave properties
  • Familiarity with photon behavior and human visual perception
  • Ability to interpret scientific literature and equations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of Planck's Law on color perception
  • Explore the differences between intensity and photon count in electromagnetic measurements
  • Study the effects of atmospheric conditions on sunlight color
  • Investigate the role of human eye physiology in color recognition
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, optical engineers, and anyone interested in the intersection of light physics and human perception, particularly in the context of astronomical observations.

Vrbic
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I was thinking about the color of the sun. I would like to talk about an ideal case, no atmosphere etc. I looking for the peak in Planck's law in wavelengths (wl), i.e., the most radiated wl (or from Wien's law). But if I'm thinking about how we see that photons hitting our eyes and what wl is dominated such color we see. Why is the intensity of the electromagnetic waves (energy) used? And not the number of photons with specific wl? Distributions for both are different. What am I missing?
Is possible to see the Sun a bit greener than white from the space or in some ideal case or it is impossible for our eyes to recognize it?
 
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Vrbic said:
Why is the intensity of the electromagnetic waves (energy) used? And not the number of photons with specific wl? Distributions for both are different
Are the distributions different? Do you have a source for this?
 
Nugatory said:
Are the distributions different? Do you have a source for this?
I google it in english so I found first this http://hep.ph.liv.ac.uk/~hock/Teaching/StatisticalPhysics-Part5-Handout.pdf, but it is in any other textbook. Here equations 59 vs 60. I don't know, maybe reason is that devices measure intensity (energy) not number of photons. But I suppose human eyes no.
 

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