Why is lava different colors?
The color of lava depends on its temperature. It starts out bright orange (1000-1150 C). As it cools the color changes to bright red (800-1000 C), then do dark red (650-800 C), and to brownish red (500-650 C). Solid lava is black (but can still be very hot). Steve Mattox It is the same reason that electric stove elements turn colors. First red then orange when turned on high (don’t do that experiment by yourself). As things get hotter they start to glow, first red, then orange, then yellow, then green, then blue, then violet. The sun’s color, for example, is sort of yellow-green, but you can’t tell by looking at it (and remember, you should NEVER look at the sun).
