An excerpt from the book The Universe in 100 Colors by Tyler Thrasher and Terry Mudge explores the fascinating world of colors in science and nature. This particular color, a bright-hot glowing peachy orange, marked the first color in the universe after it cooled to 3000 Kelvin or 2727 degrees Celsius (4938 degrees Fahrenheit). Prior to this, the dense plasma makeup of the infant universe prevented light from traveling, making it impossible for colors to exist.
The average temperature of the universe has drastically decreased from its primordial 3000 Kelvin to just below 3 Kelvin today. This change was determined through studies of cosmic background radiation, revealing the universe’s evolution from its early warm orange glow to its current state. The first stars that formed around 100 million years after the universe’s birth played a crucial role in shaping the universe we know today.
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For more intriguing insights from The Universe in 100 Colors: Weird and Wondrous Colors from Science and Nature, delve into myths about animal vision and other color-related topics.
