Re: [Paddlewise] visibility

>     We played football on the canal again last night under some nearby
street lights.  It was interesting to see the difference in the visibility
of the  kayaks.  Yellow was by far the most visible. Orange was second and
red a distant third.  Blue disappeared. PFD color seemed irrelevant.  It
simply was not a large enough surface to show up well.  I guess that is
where reflectivity comes into play.

Also the spectral characteristics of both the light source and the receiver
(=eye) are important.

The human eye is colorblind at low light, as well as being much more
sensitive to red and yellow.

Streetlights, in particular the common orange low-pressure Sodium ones, only
emit yellow light , so everything else looks dark. Other light sources, like
incandescent bulbs, high-pressure Xenon (blueish-green) as used in stadiums,
or high-pressure Sodium (warm white) show color much better.

regards,

    Kees

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