The colour of the universe is not beige...

[T.Neo]

It is actually somewhat useful to speak of "colors" outside of the visible spectrum (at least those lying close to it), because there are some animals that can see ultraviolet, and I think there may be a few that can see into the near infrared, and when talking about what such animals can see, it is useful to speak of "colors" outside the visible range.

Yes. I was using the concept of an alien to relate the idea of "seeing" colours outside of the usual human visual range, because an alien would have a word and concept for "colour".

This is a biologically sound concept, as many animals can see into the ultraviolet (and into the near-infrared, as you said.). Heat-sense, as such found on some snakes, would be much like human sense of temperature, only a lot more sensitive.

A species without visual sense, but something like an echolocation (such as that found in bats and dolphins) would have a worldview totally alien to that of a sighted species. (This however might not be a very plausible concept, as eyes have evolved very often in the history of Earth.)

To try and imagine what a color like ultraviolet would look like, yes you could imagine a very deep shade of violet, but unlike any violet you've ever seen.

In short, it is something that is best imagined, but not visualised.

 

[n72.75]

On avrage most of it's relatively dark.

 

[T.Neo]

On avrage most of it's relatively dark.

Are you talking about UV light?

Are you sure? Have you ever seen it?

 

[Andy44]

No, he's talking about the topic.

As for alien worldviews, your house cat probably has quite a different view, since her whiskers and olfactory senses are so much sharper than ours, and her eyesight is not as good.

I know what you're saying about other wavelengths as "colors", but the problem is that when I look at the sun, I see yellow, not X-rays. So if you ask me what color the sun is, I'm going to tell you it's yellow.

Same thing if I was to move to a point so far away that the universe looks like a point source of light: I would see some visible color, and that would be my answer to the question "What color is the universe?"

It wouldn't matter to me that the non-visible radiation is more powerful than the visible wavelengths, nor would it matter to me what my alien friend Morbo sees, since you are asking me what the color is, not Morbo.

 

[The 2-Belo]

Yes, and if my grandmother had wheels she'd be a wagon.

Come come, Mr. Scott. Young minds, fresh ideas. Be tolerant!

 

[T.Neo]

As for alien worldviews, your house cat probably has quite a different view, since her whiskers and olfactory senses are so much sharper than ours, and her eyesight is not as good.

Yes, but a sapient species without eyes and using sonar to detect its environment is a particularly fascinating case, as it's wordview is totally alien, far more so then a cat which essentially shares it's senses with that of a human (aside from sensitivity differences, etc.)

As an aside, a cat's vision is actually superior to that of a human, in terms of low-light vision.

I know what you're saying about other wavelengths as "colors", but the problem is that when I look at the sun, I see yellow, not X-rays. So if you ask me what color the sun is, I'm going to tell you it's yellow.

Yes, and if I asked a protanopic person what the colour of a leaf is, they would say it is yellow (ish). But that doesn't mean that green is not a colour.

 

[Suzy]

Apparently people who have their corneas removed because of cataracts (and not replaced with artificial ones) can see ultraviolet light: "Let the light shine in"; "Bird's-eye view". UV color is described as "whitish blue or, for some wavelengths, a whitish violet".

Also, interesting page: "What color are the stars?"

 

[kneejo]

springs to mind the concept of synesthesia.. it's all vibrations anyway. sound, light, heat.. different organs sending parts of the spectrum to the brain.. which knows no difference, until it learns 'this is sound, that is light' and so on.. this can be unlearned or is sometimes never learned, hence combining of sensory input.