On one hand, we all know that in winter a forest or a park will look black and white. But on the other, if you look closer, the pines are still green. The bark is brown, there are occasional specks of moss. So why everything looks so colorless on the big scale? Does it have something to do with the amount of visible light we get?
In: Physics
It’s typically cloudier in winter, so the light is more diffuse and white rather than focused and blue or yellow. The light is dimmer, which makes colors and shadows less vivid. You’re outside at night more often due to shorter days. Many trees shed their leaves and thus lose a lot of their color.
Winter is darker, and in low light colours don’t stand out as much. Rod cells are very sensitive and useful for seeing in low light, but don’t detect colour well. Cone cells are better at detecting colour but less sensitive to low light.
In winter, daylight doesn’t last as long and also it’s generally more cloudy, so things look more colourless.
The contrast is much different. From far away, your eyes only really see the difference in contrast between the very bright white snow and the “dark” objects. Up close, where you can see more detail, your eyes can tell the difference between brown bark, green leaves, and white snow. But from the distance, the dominant effect is the white vs dark of snow vs everything else.
Latest Answers