Explanation: What color is the universe? More precisely, if the
entire sky were smeared out, what color would the final mix be? This whimsical
question came up when trying to determine what stars are commonplace in nearby galaxies. The answer, depicted here, is a
conditionally perceived shade of
beige. In computer parlance: #
FFF8E7. To determine this, astronomers computationally averaged the light emitted by one of the larger samples of
galaxies analyzed: the 200,000
galaxies of the
2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. The resulting
cosmic spectrum has some emission in all parts of the
electromagnetic spectrum, but a single perceived composite color.
This color has become much less blue over
the past 10 billion years, indicating that redder stars are becoming
more prevalent. In a
contest to better name the color, notable entries included skyvory, univeige, and the winner:
cosmic latte.
APOD's email for image submissions has changed. Please see:
APOD SubmissionsTomorrow: APOD's main NASA site is moving: From
apod.nasa.gov to
science.nasa.gov/apodTomorrow's picture: sky swirl