The Average Color of the Universe and a Meteor Over the Canary Islands

A look at the average hue of the universe according to NASA, a meteor reflected in a giant telescope mirror, and severe storms across the globe.

What is the average color of the universe? According to NASA data, averaging the light emitted by 200,000 galaxies in the 2dF survey revealed that the sky's overall shade is a beige tone nicknamed 'cosmic latte' (#FFF8E7 in hex code). Over the past 10 billion years, this light has grown less blue, reflecting an increasing prevalence of redder stars.

An image published by NASA from La Palma in the Canary Islands shows a Perseid meteor streaking alongside the central Milky Way. In the foreground stands the 23-meter-wide mirror of the prototype LST-1 telescope, whose 198 hexagonal segments reflected the meteor's atmospheric flash above the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.

Another exposure shared by NASA illustrates the Andromeda galaxy captured from Portugal across 223 stacked frames before software cleanup. The raw view reveals typical observational flaws, including aircraft lights, satellite tracks, cosmic rays, and sensor artifacts, which are later systematically filtered out to represent the true galaxy.

Meanwhile, NASA's EONET tracking system recorded severe storm activity over the oceans. Monitored systems included Super Typhoon Surigae with sustained winds of 120 knots, Hurricane Nolo with winds of 115 knots, and Hurricane Polo reaching 110 knots.