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CNN Live At Daybreak

Cosmic Latte is Color of Universe, Not Black

Aired July 04, 2002 - 05:58   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And on this Fourth of July, many of you will be taking in a fireworks display. And as you look up, you'll notice the sky looks very black. But you may be surprised to know that scientists actually believe it's not black.

Our Beth Nissen reports on the cosmic color.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BETH NISSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Astronomers and physicists have long sought to answer certain cosmic questions -- how old is the universe? How big is the universe? And what color is the universe?

It may seem obvious, given the view through space shuttle windows and from the Hubble telescope, it's basic black. But if one could step outside our galaxy, step back from the universe, look at it and somehow turn the brightness up, what would the color appear to be?

Earlier this year, two Johns Hopkins University astronomers were reported on their research into star formation and just happened to mention that according to their calculations, the cosmos was a nice Martha Stewart shade of greenish turquoise. It was colorful front page news. But other researchers pointed out a flaw in the astronomers' computer software and they had to revise their guess from turquoise to a pale, diluted beige, very close to white.

There wasn't a Crayola color that described it, not even in the big box. So the Johns Hopkins team asked for ideas on what to name the color. Among the suggestions, primordial clam chowder, big bang buff, galactic khaki, skyvery (ph) and univege (ph).

The selected name? Cosmic latte. That's not merely Starbuckian. In Italian, the language of Galileo, latteo means Milky Way.

There isn't universal agreement on the latte beige color. Some color scientists -- yes, there are such people -- say the universe is more of a pinkish salmon shade. Others say it's impossible to know and silly to guess. The great cosmic hue and cry continues.

Beth Nissen, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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