In 2001, Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry determined that the color of the universe was a greenish white, but they soon corrected their analysis in a 2002 paper,[1] in which they reported that their survey of the color of all light in the universe added up to a slightly beigeish white. The survey included more than 200,000 galaxies, and measured the spectral range of the light from a large volume of the universe. The hexadecimal RGB value for Cosmic Latte is #FFF8E7.
Cosmic Turquoise, the original and incorrect color.
The finding of the "color of the universe" was not the focus of the study, which was examining spectral analysis of different galaxies to study star formation. Like Fraunhofer lines, the dark lines displayed in the study's spectral range*s display older and younger stars and allow Glazebrook and Baldry to determine the age of different galaxies and star systems. What the study revealed is that the overwhelming majority of stars formed about 5 billion years ago. Because these stars would have been "brighter" in the past, the color of the universe changes over time shifting from blue to red as more blue stars change to yellow and eventually red giants.
As light from distant galaxies reaches the Earth, the average "color of the universe" (as seen from Earth) marginally increases towards pure white, due to the light coming from the stars when they were much younger and bluer.
The original and incorrect color thought to describe the universe was "cosmic turquoise" due to an error in the way that the software used had calculated the shade (#9CFFCE).
Naming of the Color
The color was displayed in a Washington Post article [citation needed]. Glazebrook jokingly said that he was looking for suggestions for a name for the new color. Several people who read the article sent in suggestions. These were the results of a vote of the scientists involved based on the new color.
Color Name
Credit
Number of Votes from JHU Astronomers
Cosmic Latte
Peter Drum
6
Cappuccino Cosmico
Peter Drum
17
Big Bang Buff/Blush/Beige
Many entrants
13
Cosmic Cream
Several entrants
8
Astronomer Green
Unknown
8
Astronomer Almond
Lisa Rose
7
Skyvory
Michael Howard
7
Univeige
Several entrants
6
Cosmic Khaki
Unknown
5
Primordial Clam Chowder
Unknown
4
Though Drum's suggestion "Cappuccino Cosmico" received the most votes, Glazebrook and Baldry preferred Drum's other suggestion (Cosmic Latte). Drum came up with the name while sitting at a Starbucks coffeehouse drinking a latte and reading the Post. Drum noticed that the color of the universe as displayed in the Washington Post was the same color as his latte.
References
Baldry, Ivan K.; Glazebrook, Karl; Baugh, Carlton M.; Bland‐hawthorn, Joss; Bridges, Terry; Cannon, Russell; Cole, Shaun; Colless, Matthew; Collins, Chris (2002). "The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: Constraints on Cosmic Star Formation History from the Cosmic Spectrum". The Astrophysical Journal (The American Astronomical Society, published 2002-04-20) 569 (2): 582–594. doi:10.1086/339477.
