Article
Article
Color index
Article By:
Kaler, James B. Department of Astronomy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.757203
A quantitative measure of a star's color. Even a casual look at the night sky reveals the stars to be colored. From spectral analysis and the laws of radiation, it has been known since early in the twentieth century that such color is closely related to temperature. Stars are reddish at about 3000 K (4940°F), orange at about 4500 K (7640°F), yellowish-white at about 6000 K (10,340°F), white at about 10,000 K (17,540°F), and bluish-white above 10,000 K. With proper calibration, color provides a means by which the temperature and spectral class can be evaluated. Visual examination is too crude, however. Instead, color must be properly defined and quantified. See also: Spectral type; Star
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
