GREAT NORTH AMERICAN ECLIPSE: Why certain colors will appear different nearing totality [Video]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – During totality in a solar eclipse, light changes quickly in a matter of minutes as the moon briefly passes over the sun.

This allows us to experience the Purkinje effect.

“As light changes in our eyes start to adapt to those light changes, what we perceive colors to look like will change to an extent,” Dr. Chris Boschen, an Optometrist at Sunshine Eye Clinic, explained, “that has to do with our retina, the different cells that are in our retina, and how they respond differently in those different lighting environments.”

He says it mainly impacts the colors red, green, and blue as they emit different wavelengths.

For instance, red flowers would appear lower in saturation than the green surrounding them, while green and blue would appear a bit more vibrant. Keep in mind that eclipses only last a couple of minutes in totality, which is a very short amount of time for our eyes …