The Original Color of the Sun and Sky in the Quran
📖Quran 2:187
Until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night] –
- The sun emits white light, and as it rises during dawn, its white light gradually overcomes the darkness of the night, creating the transition from night to day. Therefore, the “white thread of dawn” in Quran 2:187 refers to the sun’s light, which is white, gradually dispelling the darkness of the night, This is a well-documented and scientifically supported phenomenon related to the scattering of sunlight in Earth’s atmosphere.
References:
Air molecules and airborne particles scatter white sunlight as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere. This is done by a combination of Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering. As a ray of white sunlight travels through the atmosphere to an observer, some of the colors are scattered out of the beam by air molecules and airborne particles, changing the final color of the beam the viewer sees.
Reference: Sunrise – Wikipedia
When the Sun is high overhead, it only passes through a little of Earth’s atmosphere, appearing white. As it lowers closer to the horizon, it appears with a cooler color-temperature, appearing red at sunset/sunrise, but progressing to orange, yellow, and eventually white as it rises higher, just as the Moon does.
Reference: What color is the Sun?
📖Quran 81:1 | Quran 77:8
When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness] [And] when the stars are obliterated
- When the sun is wrapped up, signifying the end of the world when it loses its light and becomes darkened, when discussing the end of stars, including the sun, and the resulting changes in the sky, it falls under the broader concept of stellar evolution. Stellar evolution covers the entire life cycle of stars, including their birth, various stages of existence, and eventual death or transformation into other forms. The end of stars and the changes in the appearance of the sky are indeed aspects of this concept.
📖Quran 70:8
On the Day when the sky will look like tar.
- In Arabic, “مُهْلِ” can indeed have dual meanings, representing both “tar” (murky oil), which refers to black or thick black substances. Additionally, the Arabic word can refer to molten copper. Moreover, copper can acquire a blackened appearance on its surface due to the formation of black copper oxides when subjected to high temperatures and specific conditions, notably oxidation. This process of oxidation can lead to the copper taking on a black coloration. Therefore, the verse refers to the original color of the sky as black because when there are no sun and stars, the sky naturally appears black.
Rayleigh Scattering
Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in Earth’s atmosphere causes diffuse sky radiation, which is the reason for the blue color of the daytime and twilight sky, as well as the yellowish to reddish hue of the low Sun… Viewed from space, however, the sky is black and the sun is white.
Reference: Wikipedia, Rayleigh Scattering, 2019
