From apod: OMG Martha Will BE So Happy - Universe Averages Out

[furrbear]

2009 November 1
The Average Color of the Universe
Credit: Karl Glazebrook & Ivan Baldry (JHU)

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 above, is a conditionally perceived shade of beige. To determine this, astronomers computationally averaged the light emitted by one of the largest sample of galaxies yet analyzed: the 200,000 galaxies of the 2dF 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.

Comments

[putzmeisterbear.livejournal.com]

Cosmic Latte? So Starbucks does control the universe?

[furrbear.livejournal.com]

the Wikipedia link at the end of the story notes:

Drum's suggestion "Cappuccino Cosmico" received the most votes, Glazebrook and Baldry preferred Drum's other suggestion (Cosmic Latte). Drum came up with the name while sitting at a Starbucks coffee house drinking a latte and reading the Post. Drum noticed that the color of the Universe as displayed in the Washington Post was the same color as his latte.

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

That seems kinda ... light ... when one considers all the black I see when I look at the night sky...?

Beige?

[ursine1.livejournal.com]

I thought it was supposed to be 18% gray.

Chuck, it may be a latte to you, but it's café con leche here

Re: Beige?

[furrbear.livejournal.com]

No, it's latte to them. To me, it's an adulteration.