Big Words!

The Purkinje Effect- Huh? Don't worry, it's easier to understand than it is to pronounce. In 1819, Johannes von Purkinje discovered an odd effect while walking at dawn one day. He observed that blue flowers appeared brighter than red flowers in the dawn light while in full daylight the red flowers looked brighter. In other words, brightness of light effects how we perceive the brightness of different colors. This is especially true in dim light. This effect is referred to as the Purkinje Effect. A good example is moonlight. The Purkinje Effect fools our brain into thinking moonlight is blue, even though as reflected sunlight, it is the same color as daylight. Notice that most night scenes in movies are blueish tinted to create a "nighttime" effect.