Colour

Red and orange and yellow and green - as heard in the nursery song 'I can sing a rainbow' we live in a world vibrant with colour. This ranges from red (700nm) to violet (400nm) in our visible spectrum; a specific region within the electromagnetic spectrum of light. We see the colours of objects as they reflect certain wavelengths from this spectrum, and photoreceptors (rods and cones) in our eyes are waiting to detect them. Humans have three types of cones, but some species such as birds and fish, have four, allowing them to detect and respond to signals invisible to us, such as ultraviolet light.

The Sun: Everything you need to know

The Sun is at the heart of our Solar System, and accounts for over 99 per cent of the total mass.
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What is watermelon snow?

It's also known as blood snow, pink snow, or red snow.
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What is synaesthesia?

Approximately 4 per cent of people experience some type of synaesthesia.
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It's not because deoxygenated blood is blue.
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Why is flash photography banned from most museums?

Is it a way of reducing damage to works of art or increasing sales in the museum gift shop? Chemistry expert Emma Davies sheds some light.
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What colour is the Sun?

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What is the average colour of the Universe?

Astrophysicist Dr Alastair Gunn explains how scientists calculated the Universe’s average hue – and what it looks like.
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What science connects taekwondo and chainsaws?

Plus: how chainsaws are also connected to human babies.
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Attenborough's newest documentary starts tonight. Here are the incredible animals you'll get to see.
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Why do we have favourite colours?

Asked by: Yasmin Hayes (aged 14), London
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Do subatomic particles have a colour?

Asked by: Matilda Wicks, Brighton
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Why is the sky blue?

Asked by: Natalie Weaver (aged 11)
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Ultra-black deep-sea fish have skin that can absorb 99.9 per cent of light

This intense black colour improves their chances of survival.
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Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring 'painted with Peak District pigments'

Dutch research project using hi-tech scans uncovers unknown details about how the Dutch master painted his iconic masterpiece.
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Ship noise leaves colour-changing shore crabs 'vulnerable to predators'

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