Solar eclipse will create Purkinje effect -- and red, green clothes will help you see it

[Judi Lynn]

1. The Purkinje Effect: Why Scientists Say To Wear Green And Red During The Eclipse

The Purkinje Effect: Why Scientists Say To Wear Green And Red During The Eclipse
Brian Bushard
Forbes Staff

TOPLINE As millions of Americans gear up to catch the total solar eclipse on April 8, scientists advise stargazers to take advantage of an unusual effect by wearing green and red clothing, allowing colors to pop as the midday sun suddenly turns dark.



Scientists advise stargazers not just to wear specialty eclipse glasses, but red and green clothes

KEY FACTS

Scientists suggest people watching the eclipse wear green and red to maximize the phenomenon known as the Purkinje effect, a change in colors brought on by transitioning from sunlight to darkness.

That effect—which makes the red colors appear darker in contrast to brighter greens and blues—typically takes 20 to 30 minutes to perceive as day turns to night, though during an eclipse the effect takes only a matter of seconds, Cleveland Clinic ophthalmologist Nicole Bajic told AccuWeather.

Wearing red and green, or watching the eclipse in a group of people wearing those colors, will boost the Purkinje effect as the moon briefly passes over the sun, Bajic said.

Tracy Gregg, a planetary scientist at the University of Buffalo, said the effect can also show itself in hues of purple, an effect created when typically vibrant reds and oranges appear darker in dim light, brightening not only blues and greens, but lilacs and violets, Gregg told Scientific American.

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SURPRISING FACT

The Purkinje effect is not the only phenomenon scientists predict stargazers will be able to take advantage of during the eclipse. Astronomers also say people will be able to catch a so-called double diamond ring, a rare effect when the last glimpse of the dimming sun suddenly turns into a bright flash around its rim, before appearing to extinguish completely, similar to the flash of the sunset over the horizon.

More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/03/28/the-purkinje-effect-why-scientists-say-to-wear-green-and-red-during-the-eclipse/