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Universe Beige, not Turquoise

Posted by michael on from the housepainters-relieved dept.

ChazeFroy writes: "The universe is actually beige, not turquoise. Researchers at John Hopkins University initially reported it was turquoise, but the software they used contained a flaw that implemented a non-standard white index to arrive at the mint chocolate chip green color." The other color was much nicer than this beige.

5 of 250 comments (clear)

  1. I thought the Cosmic Background was Three Kelvin by Mr.+Neutron · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Use Plank's constant to find out what the peak wavelength at 3 degrees Kelvin (the cosmic bg temp) is. This is the color of the Universe, as it is the color you "see" in all directions (if your eyes could see this wavelength, that is).

    --
    dinner: it's what's for beer
  2. Science, a continous error correction approach!! by GdoL · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ''But this is science. We're not like politicians. If we make mistakes, we admit them. That's how science works.''

    This is brillant (sorry beige... :-))

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    ------I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either.------
  3. Re:Hey that explains it by Sloppy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wrong, wrong, wrong. Black is the natural color for computer cases, and it's damn near close to being the color of the universe too. What they don't tell you, is that they conveniently left the black emptiness of most of the universe out of their computations. If you correct for this, then the don't-call-it-beige color becomes such a dim gray, that it can pass for black.

    So if you want your computer to cosmetically integrate with the universe and look like it belongs here, keep buying black. Beige computers will always look like unholy invaders from another dimension.

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    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
  4. Re:Who Cares? by Betelgeuse · · Score: 2, Insightful

    First off, this type of thing is not what the "real science" is about. It's just the PR stuff that seems to grab the front page. True, the color of the universe isn't going affect anyone (really), but you must admit that it's a pretty cool idea.

    Secondly, there are very few things (especially in the academic fields) that are "useful" to the general public. The same argument could be made about art, music, or basically anything else other than food production, medicine, etc. . .

    To quote Henri Poincare: "[The scientist does] not study science because it is useful to do so... [but rather] studies it because he takes pleasure in it; and he takes pleasure in it because it is beautiful. If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and life would not be worth living..."

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    I couldn't tell if you were experimenting with poor-man's cryogenics or looking for the orange sherbet.
  5. Average isn't always the right measure by andyo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Here's an example of where averages mislead. The interesting thing about color is not the average, but the contrast between colors. Trust me; I'm renovating my house right now. Or trust anybody who's stared too much at the sun.