Cosmoes

This morning I was walking through a park/cemetery near my home. Early cemeteries were often made for both the living and the dead and my walk was enjoyable.

As I was walking I looked up at an impressive maple tree in the morning light. It's leaves were bright (spring) green and as I was gazing at it my mind wandered...

When light strikes an object, such as a leaf, what we see is the light which was not absorbed by the object. In the case of our friend the leaf, this means red and blue wavelengths are absorbed by the leaf and green is reflected to my eyes.

That is simple enough and I've known that for a long time, but this morning it struck me that if there was any color this leaf existed as in reality, it most definitely is not green. In actuality it should be a shade of magenta (a color defined by it's absence of green).

If you want a better sense of what I am talking about, think of a photographic negative.

I am still curious about what happens when light is absorbed by an object, and why reflection of a particular wavelength happens at all. It seems like it could be similar to the way two magnets can be made to attract or repel each other depending upon their polarity alignment.

However, back to my wandering...

There are some colors of particular interest. Black is black because it absorbs all wavelengths of light. White is white because it reflects all wavelengths of light.

In other words, black is white and white is no color at all.

Poetically it seems fitting that the whitehouse is a place where light does not enter.

But, stars would be pin-points of blackness in an otherwise bright white sky.

Black holes are white holes.

Black people are white and white people are black.

Nothing is as it appears and I've been looking at the world all wrong.

This little light of mine seems to be emitting darkness.

Spooky thoughts for a cemetery stroll.