Colors of the Universe

It's not all black and white.

Blue Planets

Earth, Neptune, and Uranus are all blue because of gases in their atmosphere.

Blue Stars

These are the hottest stars, with a surface temperature of more than 37,000°F.

Yellow Stars

These are warm stars, such as the Sun. Their temperature is about 10,000°F.

Red Stars

The coolest stars are red. Their surface temperature is less than 5,500°F.

Red Shift

When light coming from a distant star is seen through a spectroscope (an instrument that separates light into its different colors), the light we receive continues to shift toward the red area of the spectrum, which is the least powerful. This means that, since the light is becoming weaker and weaker, the stars must be traveling away from us. This makes scientists believe that our universe is expanding.

Red Spot

A swirling cloud on the planet Jupiter is a raging storm of gases, mainly red phosphorus.

Fact Monster/Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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