Democracy Dies in Darkness

Is the sun white or yellow? It’s a hot debate, and everyone’s wrong.

Plot twist: It’s green

Updated May 16, 2023 at 5:17 p.m. EDT|Published May 11, 2023 at 3:51 a.m. EDT
Left: A picture of the sun taken in visible light was processed to make it appear orange. Right: A picture of the sun is colored green to study solar flares. (Video: NASA)
6 min

Kids around the world have always drawn the sun a little differently. Americans tend to sketch a yellow circle surrounded by straight lines — sometimes with a smiley face or black shades. Japanese children might make their circle red, not unlike their country’s flag.

Now, adults are fiercely debating the color of our solar system’s star, with some insisting it has changed hues since their childhood.