Colors of Things Outside the Spectrum

We all know the average human eye is restricted to perceiving color in the visible spectrum (or subsets thereof). Beyond the borders of that spectrum, we have infrared and ultraviolet. I understand that objects' colors are determined by the light they absorb or reflect. So, what would happen if an object only absorbed infrared and/or ultraviolet light? Would the thing be perceived as plain, old, ordinary white, or would there be a visible eeriness to it?

In other words, if an object only ever absorbed:

1) Infrared wavelengths

2) Ultraviolet wavelengths

3) Both infrared and ultraviolet, but nothing* in between

...what would be the result to the naked eye?

*And this "nothing" means there is enough of a buffer such that the object would appear white to even the unusual human who can see snippets of the UV/IR spectra.

And, to clarify, I do not mean the object will absorb all of the IR or UV spectra. Also, we are talking about an object that is reflecting the visible light but absorbing the other stuff.

posted over 8 years ago

Jon‭

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