Electric blue is a

color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are assoc ...

whose definition varies but is often considered close to cyan, and which is a representation of the color of

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

, an

electric spark An electric spark is an abrupt electrical discharge that occurs when a sufficiently high electric field creates an ionized, electrically conductive channel through a normally-insulating medium, often air or other gases or gas mixtures. Michael F ...

, and the color of ionized

argon Argon is a chemical element with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, at 0.934% (9340 ppmv). It is more than twice as ...

gas; it was originally named after the ionized air glow produced during electrical discharges, though its meaning has broadened to include shades of blue that are metaphorically "electric" by virtue of being "intense" or particularly "vibrant". Electric arcs can cause a variety of color emissions depending on the gases involved, but blue and purple are typical colors produced in the

troposphere The troposphere is the first and lowest layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, and contains 75% of the total mass of the planetary atmosphere, 99% of the total mass of water vapour and aerosols, and is where most weather phenomena occur. From ...

where

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...

and

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

dominate. The first recorded use of ''electric blue'' as a color name in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

was in 1845. The color electric blue (the version shown below as ''medium electric blue'') was in vogue in the 1890s.Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Discussion of color Electric Blue, p. 156

Variations of electric blue

Deep electric blue (French electric blue)

The deep tone of electric blue displayed at right is the color called ''bleu électrique'' in the Pourpre.com color list, a color list widely popular in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Iridescent electric blue

This shade of electric blue reflects the kind which is only metaphorically "electric". Its iridescence is also metaphoric.

Medium electric blue

The color displayed at right, titled medium electric blue, is the ''electric blue'' which "had an immense vogue in the latter 19th century". Its source is a textile sample from the 1890s. Today, this tone remains typical of "electric blue"

fabrics Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

in the

mass market The term "mass market" refers to a market for goods produced on a large scale for a significant number of end consumers. The mass market differs from the niche market in that the former focuses on consumers with a wide variety of backgrounds wi ...

Dark electric blue

Dark electric blue is a dark cyan color that is the color called ''electric blue'', formalized as a color in the

ISCC–NBS system The ISCC–NBS System of Color Designation is a system for naming colors based on a set of 13 basic color terms and a small set of adjective modifiers. It was first established in the 1930s by a joint effort of the Inter-Society Color Council (ISC ...

in 1955. The normalized color coordinates for dark electric blue are identical to

Payne's grey Payne's grey is a dark blue-grey colour used in painting. It can be used as a mixer in place of black. Since it is less intense than black, it is easier to get the right shade when using it as a mixer. Originally a mixture of iron blue (Prussian ...

, which was first recorded as a color name in English in 1835.

In nature

Crustaceans

The electric blue crayfish is a species of freshwater crayfish endemic to Florida.

Reptiles

The electric blue gecko was first discovered by biologist William in the 1950s.

In the arts

Literature

Miss. Hunter, in the Sherlock Holmes story “ The Adventure of the Copper Beeches”, was required to wear an electric blue dress. It first published in the UK in

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

, in June 1892.

Comics

In a 1998 retelling of the original 1963 story of

Superman Red/Superman Blue ''Superman Red/Superman Blue'' refers to two different comic book storylines published by DC Comics featuring Superman. Silver Age story The original Superman-Red/Superman-Blue tale is an " Imaginary Story" that first appeared in ''Superman'' #16 ...

, Superman is temporarily deprived of the solar energy which his body needs. To compensate, he harnesses electricity. This eventually forces him to adopt a blue and white suit to prevent the energy from dispersing. He retained most of his abilities but lost his heat-vision and used electric attacks instead. Some fans refer to this version of Superman as "Electric Blue Superman".

Music

David Bowie's song "

Sound and Vision "Sound and Vision" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was released in January 1977 by RCA Records on side one of his 11th studio album '' Low''. RCA later chose it as the first single from the album. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony ...

" references the color in the third verse, Blue, blue, electric blue That's the color of my room Where I will live Blue, blue The new wave band Icehouse had a hit single in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

titled Electric Blue.

Other uses

The color electric blue is associated with the astrological sign of

Aquarius Aquarius may refer to: Astrology * Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign * Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages Astronomy * Aquarius (constellation) * Aquarius in Chinese astronomy Arts and entertainme ...

.Parker, Derek and Julia ''Aquarius'' (Part of the ''Planetary Zodiac Library'') New York:1972 A Mitchell Beazley/Ballantine Book Page 14

References

{{Shades of blue, electric blue Electric blue (color) Electric blue (color)