Why does an object look different when seen in tubelight and sunlight?

Tube light - neon or fluorescent?


Neon and similar gas discharge tubes as well as sodium area lights put out light in a very narrow spectrum so colors outside that range have no light to reflect so look black.


Fluorescent tube some with various phosphors inside to produce different mixes of light output. For example, Daylight (6500K) is intended to match the light coming from the northern sky in day time, which is liked by artists. Direct sunlight is much more yellow. Cool White was the original and most efficient phosphor, seen in work shops and many offices. Warm White is less efficient, but is intended to match the color of incandescent lights.


If an analysis of the energy at the frequencies across the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) the amounts at each frequency will vary with the type.


Sunlight is a broad spectrum of light with energy distributed by the rules of heated object output. A light bulb with a filament heated to the same temp will produce the same spectrum.Why does an object look different when seen in tubelight and sunlight?
You mean fluorescent light?





Sunlight has a fairly continuous spectrum, but the spectrum of fluorescent light is concentrated in relatively few sharp peaks.聽 The reflectivity of many objects also has peaks, and it will look more colorful under fluorescent light if one of those coincides with a peak from the lamp and will look duller if none of them do.