When we look up at the night sky, we mostly see darkness sprinkled with stars. But if you could combine all the light in the universe and average it out — what colour would it be?
Surprisingly, scientists say the color of the universe is a pale beige-white, nicknamed “cosmic latte.”
“It’s the average color of all the light from over 200,000 galaxies,” said astronomer Karl Glazebrook, who co-led the original study in 2002.
→ Johns Hopkins University – Cosmic Color Discovery
🎨 Why Cosmic Latte?
In 2002, astronomers from Johns Hopkins University analyzed the spectral light data from thousands of galaxies across billions of light-years. They added up the colors from all the stars and galaxies, and then averaged the result.
The outcome was a color close to beige or off-white, later named “cosmic latte” — a bit like the foam of a cappuccino.
“It’s not blue, red, or black — it’s this very bland beige,” Glazebrook joked.
→ NASA: What is the Color of the Universe?
🌈 Isn’t Space Black?
Yes — space looks black to us because it’s mostly empty, and our eyes can’t detect the background radiation without special instruments. But when scientists measure all the electromagnetic radiation (including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light), they get a full-color profile of the universe’s glow.
This process is similar to how we measure the color temperature of stars or use spectrometry in labs.
📊 Summary Table
| Perspective | What We See | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Human eyes | Mostly black | Empty space, no nearby light |
| Scientific analysis | Pale beige (“cosmic latte”) | Average of all galactic light |
| Deep space images | Multicolor | Enhanced by telescopes |
🧠 Cool Fact
“If the entire universe were a cup of coffee, it’d be the color of a latte,” scientists wrote in their 2002 study published in Astrophysical Journal
→ Original Study Summary on NASA.gov
