So, temperatures are dropping below the 0°C where I live, and I was wondering why does it seems like everything has a “cold color” filter applied to it ?
It’s almost like I have a veil in my eyes that makes everything I look at outside whiter or greyer, even when this is bright sunny, and I really don’t think it is something about a psychological bias because I do prefer colder seasons over hotter ones.
Thanks in advance !
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In the winter the temperature of the air is lower, which causes it to hold less moisture. When there is less moisture in the air, the air appears to be clearer and more **transparent**, which can give the impression that objects are further away and the colors of objects appear less vibrant. Additionally, the angle of the sun during the winter months is lower in the sky, which can also contribute to the perception of coldness by casting longer shadows and reducing the amount of direct sunlight that reaches the ground.
The properties of air change with temperature and we can sense some of that. It’s “crisper” in that it does move about as much. This helps a lot with telescopes. Essentially the opposite of that wavey heat mirage you can see on long distances of hot roads.
I think there’s some color filtering differences too, but I’m not sure.
In addition to what’s said, the actual things we look at get muted in various ways: flowers die, trees fell their leaves, clorophyll is no longer regenerated, so vegetation gets a lot more muted. Frost covers objects and adds a white layer on top of their colors, making them look more grey and less vibrant. Dirt and grime is no longer washed away by rain, and accumulates wherever vehicles, humans or animals move a lot.
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