cerulean

Cerulean
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#007BA7
RGBB	(r, g, b)	(0, 123, 167)
HSV	(h, s, v)	(196°, 100%, 65%)
Source		Internet
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Cerulean, also spelled caerulean, may be applied to a range of colors from deep blue, sky-blue, bright blue or azure color through greenish blue colors.

The first recorded use of cerulean as a color name in English was in 1590.^[1] The word is probably derived from the Latin word caeruleus, "dark blue, blue or blue-green", which in turn probably derives from caelulum, diminutive of caelum, "heaven, sky".^[2]

Use in artistic painting

Synthetic pigments simulating a cerulean blue hue; on canvas.

In classical times, cerulean was used to describe blue pigments, particularly mixtures of copper and cobaltous oxides. These early attempts to create sky blue colors were often less than satisfactory due to greenish hues and lack of permanence. When the pigment cerulean blue (shown in the color box above) was invented, it largely superseded all these prior pigments.

Cerulean blue

Cerulean blue
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#2A52BE
RGBB	(r, g, b)	(42, 82, 190)
HSV	(h, s, v)	(224°, 78%, 75%)
Source		Internet
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The color cerulean blue is displayed at right.

Cerulean blue pigment

Discovered in 1805 by Andreas Höpfner, the pigment originally referred to as cerulean blue (or corruleum blue) was first marketed in 1860 as "coeruleum" by George Rowney of the United Kingdom. The primary chemical constituent of the pigment is cobalt(II) stannate.^[3][4][5]

It is particularly valuable for artistic painting of skies because of the purity of the blue (specifically the lack of greenish hues), its permanence (no other blue pigments retained color as well), and its opaqueness.^[6]

Today, cobalt chromate is sometimes marketed under the cerulean blue name but is darker and greener (Rex Art color index PB 36) than the cobalt stannate version (color index PB 35). The chromate makes excellent turquoise colors and is identified by Rex Art and some other manufacturers as "cobalt turquoise".^[7][8]

Other variations of cerulean

Dark cerulean

Dark cerulean
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#08457E
RGBB	(r, g, b)	(0, 69, 126)
HSV	(h, s, v)	(209°, 94%, 49%)
Source		[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The color dark cerulean is displayed at right.

Bright cerulean

Bright Cerulean
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#1DACD6
RGBB	(r, g, b)	(29, 172, 214)
Source		Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Bright cerulean is the color called cerulean by Crayola crayons.

Pale cerulean

Pale Cerulean
— Color coordinates —
Hex triplet		#9BC4E2
RGBB	(r, g, b)	(155, 196, 226)
Source		Pantone
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Pale cerulean is the color called cerulean by Pantone. ^[9]

Cerulean in nature

• Cerulean Cuckoo-shrike
• Cerulean Kingfisher
• Caerulean Paradise-flycatcher
• Cerulean Warbler
• Cerulean-capped Manakin

Cerulean in human culture

Aerobatics

• The United States Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team wears uniforms that are a rich bright shade of cerulean.^[10]

Computer software

• Cerulean Studios is a software house based in Connecticut, United States.

Literature

• Cerulean Sins is the eleventh book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton.

Music

• Cerulean is the album title for the September 10, 1991 music release by the band The Ocean Blue.

Science

• Cerulean cyan fluorescent protein is a mutant of green fluorescent protein.

Television

• Repetition of the words "cerulean blue" is a method the "Pusher" villain uses at the beginning of the eponymous X-Files episode 17 season 3 in order to lull his victims to do what he wants.

Film

• In The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priesly (Meryl Streep) makes a reference to a cerulean colored sweater, and other high fashion clothes items in Cerulean.

Video games

• Azul the Cerulean is the blue-haired 33 year-old final recruit of the Tsviets in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.
• Cerulean City is one of the pivotal locations in the game and anime Pokémon and is home to the Water Pokémon Gym in Kanto.

See also

• Pigment
• List of colors

References

External links

• A page on Cerulean Blue
• National Pollutant Inventory - Cobalt fact sheet