Why do some lights on campus appear “reddish” while others appear “white”?
The “reddish” light is given off by high pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs. These bulbs have been used for many years throughout campus because of their long life span and lower operating cost. The University is currently in the process of replacing HPS bulbs with medal halide (MH) bulbs. Metal halide provides a much whiter light, which for equal wattage, looks brighter than HPS light and makes colors look truer. The trade-off with MH bulbs is that they do not last as long and are slightly more expensive to operate than HPS bulbs.
