Blue is one of the primary colors and it can be found everywhere around us – from the clear blue skies to the deep blue oceans. But did you know that not all blues are the same? There are actually dozens of shades of the color blue, each with their own unique name and attributes. In this article, we will explore the different shades of blue and see if there really are 50 different shades out there.
The Color Spectrum
To understand the different shades of blue, we first need to understand how color works. The colors we see are part of the visible light spectrum. This spectrum ranges from violet at one end through blue, green, yellow, orange, and red at the other end. Within this spectrum, there are wavelengths of light corresponding to each color. Blue light has a wavelength of between 450-495 nanometers.
Within the blue range, there can be variations in wavelength that our eyes perceive as different shades. So while we categorize all these colors as “blue”, they can have subtle differences in their visual appearance. This is what gives us the many shades of blue.
Primary Blue
Let’s start with primary blue. This is the purest and brightest shade of blue. It sits right in the middle of the blue part of the spectrum, at a wavelength of around 470