Why red and green are the go-to colors for the eclipse
Erie, PA (WJET/WFXP) — If you are in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, dress in shades of red and green, and this isn't just to look good. When wearing these colors a unique effect occurs minutes before totality.
According to experts at SolarEyeglasses, In bright light, our eyes use the 'cone cells' of our retina which gives us high spatial recognition as well helping us see colors clearly. As it begins to get darker, our eyes begin to switch to our rod cells. While these are great to see in low-light settings, they are not so great with colors; they just pick up blue/green hues well.
So just what is this "magic zone" anyway?
Between 4-5 minutes before the moon completely covers the sun, we enter a zone that is known as the Mesopic zone, or 'Twilight Vision." This is the time when it's not too bright and not too dark, but colors will appear to be more dull and even turn a silver or grey color. This transition would normally take 30-45 minutes, but due to the short time, we enter into this Twilight Vision
In this zone, our eyes are utilizing both the cone and rod cells. So while warmer colors like reds and oranges will appear as being less vibrant, greens and blues will get brighter and more vibrant.
This unique effect is known as the Purkinje effect. This is a phenomenon that changes how we perceive colors in low light.
"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!" A Spokesperson with SolarEyeglasses told us. "But to really 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.”
They also recommend avoiding neutral colors like black, grey, white or brown if you want to experience the full effect.
However, it is important to remember that this effect will not show up on any pictures you take since it is a result of how our eyes interpret light.