Where does the Sun's actual peak emission fall within the visible spectrum, contrasting with its perceived color?

Answer

Its actual peak emission falls squarely in the green part of the visible spectrum, yet it appears yellow or white.

While the Sun is classified as a Yellow-White star with a surface temperature around 5,800 K to 6,000 K, its emission profile is complex. Based on its specific temperature, the wavelength where it radiates the absolute maximum amount of energy is located within the green portion of the visible spectrum. However, stars do not emit light only at their peak wavelength; they emit across the entire spectrum. Because the Sun emits significant amounts of light across the blue, green, yellow, and red wavelengths simultaneously, the human eye blends these combined colors. This blending process results in the overall perception of white or slightly yellowish light, rather than appearing purely green, as the intensity of the adjacent colors prevents the central green peak from dominating sensory input.

Where does the Sun's actual peak emission fall within the visible spectrum, contrasting with its perceived color?

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