Book 13, Question 12
Why Do Dark Clothes Feel Hotter in the Sun than Light Ones?
Dark colors soak up most of the light that hits them. They turn that light energy into heat. Light colors bounce more light away, so they stay cooler.
More fun facts
- In one study, scientists set polo shirts of the same material and design, but different colors, out in open sunshine on summer days.
- In calm, sunny weather, the surface of a black or dark green shirt got more than 15 degrees Celsius hotter than a white one.
- The temperature difference between colors was biggest when the sunshine was strongest.
- Depending on its color, a shirt soaked up as much as 34 percent more of the Sun's energy, which explained the 15 degree gap.
- How much invisible near-infrared light a color reflected also mattered, which is why red and green shirts heated up so differently.
- When a breeze blew at about 3 meters per second, the difference between white and black shirts almost disappeared.
- The researchers suggest that choosing clothing color is a small, everyday way to adapt to hotter summers.
Sources: National Institutes of Health
Questions kids ask
Should I wear white on a hot sunny day?
Light colors usually stay cooler in strong sun, especially when the air is still.
Does wind change anything?
Yes. In the study, a breeze of about 3 meters per second almost erased the temperature gap between white and black shirts.