Watching solar eclipse? Colors to wear to experience color transforming Purkinje effect
If you are planning on watching April 8's solar eclipse, you may not have put much thought into what you might wear.
This is because you may not have heard about the Purkinje effect, a natural phenomenon that occurs when the peak luminance sensitivity of the eye shifts toward the blue end of the color spectrum at low illumination levels to adapt to the dark. During the eclipse, you can experience this color transformation by wearing the right colors.
To enhance viewing experience, wear red or green
According to experts from Solar Eyeglasses, there is concrete science behind wearing certain colors during the eclipse. If you plan on watching the eclipse in groups or public places, wearing the colors red and green can enhance your viewing experience.
During daylight, our eyes use the retina's cone cells to see color, according to Solar Eyeglasses. These cells function best under photopic vision, meaning bright light conditions. As it gets darker, our eyes switch to rod cells to see better during scotopic vision, or low light conditions. Due to this, the only colors these cells can pick up well are blue-green hues.
The mesopic vision zone, the eclipse's intermediate phase, occurs four to five minutes before eclipse totality, according to the release. During this phase, surroundings that are in not too bright or dark conditions will appear less colorful, turning grayish or silvery. Light levels in the zone decrease, and in response, the cone cells receive less stimulation, which can be noticed with warm colors like red and orange.
However, if you wear the color green, it will appear brighter against dim surroundings due to the Purkinje effect.
“This isn’t just an eclipse thing. It’s similar to how we observe garden flowers in the evening. Reds turn darker, almost black, while blues and greens get brighter,” a spokesperson with Solar Eyeglasses said in the release. "This Purkinje effect during the coming eclipse will turn the whole experience from just watching the sky go dark to a real-life science demo on your clothes! But to see the changes in color saturation, lots of people need to wear these complimentary red and green colors. Two or five in a group of 100 wouldn’t help.”
Proof that red and green work, colors to avoid wearing
There is proof from past eclipses that wearing the colors red and green works best.
Dr. Gordon Telepun, creator of the Solar Eclipse Time app, observed two separate eclipse periods where viewers wore different color choices.
In his YouTube video, he compared experiences from the 2017 summer eclipse and the 2019 winter eclipse. In the 2017 summer eclipse, he noticed bright colors made the Purkinje effect pop. During the 2019 winter eclipse, the effect was less noticeable due to subdued clothing and surroundings.
If you want to experience the color transformation effect during the eclipse, skip wearing neutral colors like black, white, gray or brown ― these colors will just blend into the eclipse's shadow.
Best times to watch eclipse in the Upstate
The eclipse's magnitude will depend on where you are viewing it in the state, appearing larger in the Upstate and smaller in the Lowcountry and coastal areas.
The following is a selection of cities and the best times to watch the eclipse via eclipse2024.org:
∎ Anderson: 3:08 p.m.
∎ Charleston: 3:08 p.m.
∎ Columbia: 3:10 p.m.
∎ Greenville: 3:09 p.m.
∎ Myrtle Beach: 3:13 p.m.
∎ Spartanburg: 3:09 p.m.
For more cities and times, visit here.
Here are some trusted eclipse glasses sellers:
For a more extensive list, please visit the American Astronomical Society.
E-learning day for Greenville Greenville County Schools to hold eLearning day for students on day of solar eclipse.
Nina Tran covers trending topics. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: To experience the Purkinje effect during eclipse, wear these colors
