Give a child some coloured pencils and some paper and ask them to draw the Sun. They will draw a yellow disk without exception; nobody knows why because the Sun is not yellow!
It is simple to prove. All you need is a dark room, white paper, and a lamp with a red bulb.
In the dark room, put the paper under the lamp and turn the lamp on. What colour does the paper look? It looks red. Why? Because the light source is red. Now take the paper outside into the sunlight, and it looks white because the Sun must be white!
So why do people think it is yellow?
Throughout history, the Sun has been a symbol of life and energy, and various cultures have associated it with specific colours, mainly yellow or gold. These cultural associations, deeply embedded in art, literature, and language, have played a significant role in shaping our perception of the Sun’s colour, sparking intrigue and curiosity.
There is an argument that Rayleigh scatter, which makes the sky appear blue, might cause the Sun to look yellow, but research has shown that the effect is not significant enough to cause this.
What is more likely is psychological factors. Our brains interpret colours based on context; you might remember the internet. Blue/Gold dress. The Sun is often viewed against a blue sky, enhancing the perception of its yellow hue, especially when compared to the surrounding colours.
In reality it’s likely to be cultural reinforcement and psychological factors.
