All mysteries
Mystery #4Tier 1heat, light, colour

Why do you roast in a black t-shirt but stay cooler in a white one?

On a blazing sunny day a black t-shirt can feel like a portable oven, while a white one leaves you far cooler. The Sun shining down on you is exactly the same either way. So why should the colour of your shirt change how hot you get?

A Tuareg man walking in bright sunshine wearing loose flowing dark robes and a wrapped head covering.
Photo: Amine loua · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Your guess

Why do you think a dark shirt ends up hotter than a white one in the same sunshine?

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