this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2025
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For anyone who wants to know the real answer. Unfiltered sunlight is white in appearance covering the full visual light spectrum. Once this light hits the atmosphere higher frequencies such as violet and blue are scattered as the lower frequencies pass through making the sun appear yellow. Most of the light still makes it through the first pass however so most of the full spectrum still passes through is reflected again by the earths surface. Once this bounced light hits the atmosphere again on the underside the higher frequencies are again scattered letting lower frequencies pass making the sky appear blue. Of the light that hits the plants leaves green light is reflected while everything else is absorbed making the leaf appear green.
I don't think it's pure white. Given the type of our star I remember reading it's actually yellow with a hint of green.
It peaks in yellow/green, but its not a ton more yellow than the rest of the visible spectrum so its still very white, the yellow appearance from earth's surface is still more due to atmospheric filtering than the actual spectrum its emitting.