The kaleidoscopic play of sunlight pouring through a prism is essentially the chromatographic display of the sun’s white rays, as they disperse into an array of colours. Can the sun be blue?
No, it is not possible for the sun to appear blue. The sun’s colour is affected by the atmosphere here on Earth. We lose some of the blue colour of the sun as sunlight travels through the atmosphere because shorter wavelength blue light scatters more effectively than longer wavelength red light.
But for the sake of argument, let’s consider what would happen if the sun were actually blue. Watch the video to learn more about the possibility of a blue sun and how it would impact life on planets.
If we lived under a blue sun, plasma ejections would constantly sear our planet. And the sun would bathe us with fatal UV radiation. The blue sun will instantly burn all the life present on planet Earth.
Continue reading to find out important facts about sun’s colour, temperature and existence amongst other things.
Why Is The Sun Not Blue?
When viewed through a pair of binoculars, certain stars appear to be various colours. Many stars seem orange, while others have a blue/white hue. The colour of a star is determined by its surface temperature and, in turn, by its size.
When light travels through the air particles in the upper orbit, some are dispersed sideways. The air molecules fragment a small amount of all hues from the forward travelling stream of sunlight, but blue and violet colours are the most widely dispersed, giving the sky a whitish-blue look.
Because more blue and violet light has been eliminated from the forward travelling ray than other colours, the amount of direct sunlight that reaches the earth’s surface is whitish. The following are important facts about Blue Star.
Blue Giant Stars Exist
Yes, numerous stars in the universe are blue. The blue giant emits roughly nine million times greater brightness than the Sun.
A blue giant is also the most massive star, with an estimated density of more than 250 suns and a volume sufficient to contain 27,000 suns.
They live very short lives and die young, usually in a massive explosion called a “Super Nova.” White to blue-white stars are bigger, more powerful, and hotter than our sun, with surface temperatures up to 12,000 degrees Celsius. They generally live longer than blue stars, but not as long as our sun will.
Blue Stars So Luminous
The rationale behind blue stars’ being so bright depends a lot on their energy. The production of energy is positively correlated with the light that is emitted. More energy means more light at the blue end of the spectrum. The immense and blazing luminosity of the Blue Star generates more energy in four seconds than the Sun does in a year.
Will A Blue Sun Be Stable?
If the sun was a blue star, it would have been highly unstable. It would constantly shift in its balance between the forces of radiation being propelled outwards and the inward pull of gravity. This means that the sun would brighten and dim accordingly to the state of the dynamic between these two forces.
If the sun was blue, you would not be able to make it through the heat. If you walked outdoors for one second, it would be like going into a scorching oven. The blue sun will immediately burn all of your body’s tissues to ash, maybe even your bones. You’d be out of the game.
Continue reading to learn more.
Will A Blue Sun Live Long?
When we look up at the stars at night, they all appear the same. Although some stars appear brighter than others, they always appear white. The brightness depends on the energy they require to burn or shine. How long will a blue sun last?
A blue sun will burn bright and die young. Stars are capable of survival by fusing hydrogen into helium. The larger the star, the faster it consumes energy through its hydrogen supply and, as a result, the shorter its lifetime.
Luckily for us, our sun has been around for around four and a half billion years and has another five billion to go.
Conclusion
The grand design of the universe has created the perfect conditions on our planet for the sustenance of life. In light of the aforementioned facts, it’s probably for the best that we don’t have a blue sun, because we’d burn otherwise.
