Why the sky is blue and not violet?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the perception of the color violet in relation to blue and purple, particularly why the sky appears blue instead of violet. Participants explore the nature of color perception, the spectral properties of violet, and the differences in how violet is represented in various contexts, such as rainbows and prisms.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the sky appears blue rather than violet due to the lower amount of violet light produced by the sun and its absorption in the atmosphere.
  • There is confusion about whether violet is perceived as a deep blue or a purplish color, with some participants referencing a video that claims violet is deep blue, while others argue it is typically seen as purple.
  • Participants note that violet and purple are not spectrally pure colors and that color perception is influenced by the human visual system, which complicates the mapping of spectral colors to perceived colors.
  • Some participants assert that many different spectra can produce the same visible color, leading to similarities between violet and purple in perception.
  • One participant mentions their experience with a 405nm laser pointer, describing it as purplish rather than blue, which adds to the complexity of how violet is perceived.
  • There is a discussion about why violet is often portrayed as purplish in media, with some suggesting that the portrayal is influenced by the limitations of color reproduction technologies.
  • Concerns are raised about the accuracy of color representation in different contexts, such as prisms versus rainbows, and whether these representations affect perception.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the perception of violet, with no consensus on whether it is more accurately described as deep blue or purplish. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the exact nature of violet's perception and representation.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the limitations of human color perception and the complexities involved in defining spectral colors versus perceived colors. The discussion also touches on the influence of technology on color representation.

  • #31
Violet light stimulates both the red and blue receptors in the eye. So while spectral colours include pure blue and red, there is no spectral colour where red dominates over blue. The latter colour would be my definition of purple, which would be one of the few colours which do not occur as spectral colours.
There is plenty of space for experiments, e.g. comparing the spectral colour with some rgb colours on the screen.
 
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  • #32
DrDu said:
Violet light stimulates both the red and blue receptors in the eye. So while spectral colours include pure blue and red, there is no spectral colour where red dominates over blue. The latter colour would be my definition of purple, which would be one of the few colours which do not occur as spectral colours.
There is plenty of space for experiments, e.g. comparing the spectral colour with some rgb colours on the screen.
Mostly Blue end receptor but also Middle and Red end receptors. This is not displays we're discussing. Red dominates over Blue in Spectral Red, btw.
Yes. Displays could be used but they cannot produce colours outside the phosphor gamut.
 
  • #33
kmm said:
I have some confusions about this that I'm not finding clear answers for. First, looking at the color violet, it looks like a sort of "purple". The answer as I've understood it to why the sky doesn't appear violet or this "purple" is that it has to do with a combination of the fact that there isn't as much violet produced by the sun and it's absorbed higher in the atmosphere. In addition to that is while violet appears sort of purple since it stimulates the blue cones and the red cones less, the net effect from the different frequencies of light coming into our eye is that the blue cones are stimulated most. So we see the sky as blue. What's confusing to me is that while thinking of violet as sort of a purple, I've come across some explanations that regard violet as a deep blue, not this "purplish" color. To add to this, if you look at a spectrum produced by a prism, it doesn't appear to show violet as this "purple" but a deep blue, however when you look at a rainbow you can see violet as this sort of purple. So I'm not sure what violet is actually perceived as. If violet is perceived as a purple, why doesn't this show up with a prism? If violet is perceived as a deep blue, why do we see "purple" where violet should be in a rainbow? Which is it?
this is a botanical question:)

its something to do with the blue hue hitting the atmosphere and dissipating over plant foliage during summer months, the sun is higher and the plants like blue light during vegetative stage, when the sun goes lower with the coming of autumn the atmosphere let's in more red when the flowers appear ... Its the magic of photosynthesis:)

im not a botanist put its something like this :)

indoor hydroponics growers use 7000k blue for veg and 2000k red for flower ... IM not sure what the mn is .

you've heard the saying " red sky at night Sheppard's delight" :)

that's all iv got hope this helps :)
 
  • #34
You already know this i presume:)

 
  • #35
sophiecentaur said:
Red dominates over Blue in Spectral Red, btw.
Yes.
Certainly, but in spectral red, green receptors will be stimulated even more than blue receptors, so you won't get the impression of purple.
 

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