Yellow versus Green - Which color is more visible to the eye?

TacoHerder said:

I remember i was taught in art class not to just splash a little yellow that wont belong as your eye would jump to that first every time. Its weird green doesnt do that, yet as light green is more vivid and visible.

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That probably has a basis in psychology or neurology, not in the workings of the eye.

You get a similar effect with a yellow colored box/banner on a computer display: while its less bright then a white area, it does stand out more when looking at the overal picture.

Newb2Lasers said:

I got this answer from a person:

Can someone clarify?
Honestly I always thought green was the winner..

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From most visible to least I would assume it would be

Green
Yellow
Blue
Red
Violet

norbie said:

From most visible to least I would assume it would be

Green
Yellow
Blue
Red
Violet

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Kinda, but here is pretty much the ultimate answer:

Green is brighter, mostly because even your chinese junk pointer will be several times the power of a yellow pointer.

Your brain probably interprets yellow/white etc. as brighter because in the context of multi-wavelength light sources, the yellow/white will be a combination of green and other wavelengths overlapping. Their combined power produces a brighter light than any of the individual wavelengths.

In terms of pure wavelength and power, the green will be brighter than yellow, centering around 555nm.