Azure (color)
| Azure (color wheel) | ||
|---|---|---|
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— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #007FFF | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 127, 255) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (210°, 100%, 100[1]%) |
| Source | By definition[2] | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Azure is a blue-cyan color on the HSV color wheel (Hue, Saturation, Value), also known as the RGB color wheel, at 210 degrees. Azure is the hue that is halfway between blue and cyan. Azure is one of the tertiary colors on the HSV color wheel. Its complementary color is orange.[3]
The word Azure is a near synonym for the color blue. Commonly it refers to a bright blue, resembling the sky on a bright, clear day.
The etymology of the word azure has been traced back to the Persian word لاژورد "Lazheward"[4] , which is the name of a place in northeastern Afghanistan that in ancient times was the main source for lapis lazuli, a semi-precious rock with a vivid blue color. The word was adopted into French (as l'azur, the initial /l/ being understood as 'the') by the twelfth century. Today it is found in all Western European languages. It was adopted into English from the French, and the first recorded use of it as a color name in English was in 1374 in Geoffrey Chaucer's work Troilus and Criseyde, where he refers to "a broche, gold and asure" (a broach, gold and azure)[5][6][7]
The use of the term spread through the practice of heraldry, where “azure” represents a blue color in the system of tinctures. In engravings, it is represented as a region of parallel horizontal lines, or by the abbreviation az. or b. In practice, azure has been represented by any number of shades of blue. In later heraldic practice a lighter blue, called bleu celeste (“sky blue”), is sometimes specified.
Azure also describes the color of the mineral azurite, both in its natural form and as a pigment in various paint formulations. In order to preserve its deep color, azurite was ground coarsely. Fine-ground azurite produces a lighter, washed-out color. Traditionally, the pigment was considered unstable in oil paints, and was sometimes isolated from other colors and not mixed. Modern investigation of old paintings, however, shows that the pigment is very stable unless exposed to sulfur fumes.[8]
In some color systems, azure is defined more specifically. In the X11 color system which became a standard for early web colors, azure is a pale cyan color.
United Nations blue, as it's called by the United Nations,[9] is the medium bright azure color of the Flag of the United Nations and of the helmets worn by the United Nations peacekeeping forces.
In Russian, "голубой" (goluboj, azure or cyan) and "синий" (sinij, blue or navy blue) are not two shades of the same color, but distinguished in the way red and pink are distinct colors in English. A similar distinction exists between "azzurro" (azure, but used to indicate various shades of light blue) and "blu" (blue) in Italian and "ฟ้า (fah, sky blue) and น้ำเงิน (nam ngoen, blue) in Thai.[citation needed]
[edit] Variations of azure
[edit] Air Force blue
[edit] Alice blue
| Alice Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
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— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #F0F8FF | |
| sRGBB | (r, g, b) | (240, 248, 255) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (208°, 6%, 100%) |
| Source | X11[10] | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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The web color Alice blue is a pale tint of azure.
[edit] Azure mist (web color azure)
| Azure (web color) | ||
|---|---|---|
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— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #F0FFFF | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (240, 255, 255) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (180°, 6%, 100[11]%) |
| Source | X11 | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
Displayed at right is the web color called azure; in actuality it is a pale pastel tint of cyan, as can be ascertained by noting its hue angle of 180 degrees (cyan).
In an artistic context, this color would be called azure mist.
[edit] Bleu de France
| Bleu de France | ||
|---|---|---|
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— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #318CE7 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (49, 140, 231) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (210°, 79%, 91%) |
| Source | Pourpre.com | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
The color bleu de France is displayed at right.
Bleu de France is a color that has been associated in heraldry with the Kings of France since the 12th century.
[edit] Brandeis blue
| Brandeis Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #0070FF | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 112, 255) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (214°, 100%, 100%) |
| Source | Internet | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
Brandeis blue is the tone of azure used in association with Brandeis University.
The university administration defines Brandeis Blue as corresponding to the Pantone color of 293 or the process color of 100c 56m 0y 0k.[12]
[edit] Celeste
| Celeste | ||
|---|---|---|
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— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #B2FFFF | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (178, 255, 255) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (180°, 30%, 100%) |
| Source | S.Fantetti e C.Petracchi (2001). Il dizionario dei colori: nomi e valori in quadricromia. Zanichelli . ISBN 8808079953. |
|
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Celeste (pronounced che-les-te in Italian, Se-lest in English) is the colloquial name for the turquoise blue colour associated with the Italian Bianchi Bicycle Company. In Italian, as the name Celestial indicates, it is an attempt to reproduce the colour of clear skies.
[edit] Celestial blue
| Celestial Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #4997D0 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (73, 151, 208) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (205°, 65%, 81[13]%) |
| Source | Plochere | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
Displayed at right is the color celestial blue.
The first recorded use of celestial blue as a color name in English was in 1535.[14]
The source of this color is the Plochere Color System, a color system formulated in 1948 that is widely used by interior designers.[15]
[edit] Cerulean
| Cerulean | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #007BA7 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 123, 167) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (196°, 100%, 65%) |
| Source | [Unsourced] | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Cerulean is a range of greenish-blue colors similar in hue to azure.
[edit] Columbia blue
[edit] Cornflower blue
| Cornflower Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #6495ED | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (100, 149, 237) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (219°, 58%, 93%) |
| Source | X11 | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
At right is displayed the web color cornflower blue.
[edit] Dodger blue
| Dodger Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #1E90FF | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (30, 144, 255) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (210°, 88%, 100%) |
| Source | X11 | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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At right is displayed the color Dodger blue.
[edit] French blue
| French Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #0072BB | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 114, 187) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (203°, 100%, 73[16]%) |
| Source | Maerz and Paul | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
Displayed at right is the color French blue.[17]
French blue is a deep azure color commonly used in quality men's dress shirts.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of French Blue in English was in The Times of 1802.[18]
[edit] Lapis lazuli
| Lapis Lazuli | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #26619C | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (38, 97, 156) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (210°, 76%, 61[19]%) |
| Source | Pourpre.com | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
The color lapis lazuli is displayed at left.
Lapis Lazuli is a color that is a representation of the most common color of lapis lazuli.
[edit] Light sky blue
| Light Sky Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #87CEFA | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (135, 206, 250) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (203°, 46%, 98%) |
| Source | X11 color names | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Displayed at right is the web color light sky blue.
[edit] Maya blue
[edit] Midnight blue
| Midnight Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
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— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #003366 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 51, 102) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (210°, 100%, 40%) |
| Source | Crayola | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Midnight blue is a dark shade of azure popular in men's suits.
[edit] Pacific blue
| Pacific blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #0050A0 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 80, 160) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (210°, 100%, 31%) |
| Source | Crayola | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Displayed at right is the color pacific blue
[edit] Royal blue (traditional)
| Royal Blue (traditional) | ||
|---|---|---|
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— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #002366 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 35, 102) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (219°, 100%, 20%) |
| Source | ISCC-NBS | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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The traditional color called royal blue is a dark shade of azure.
[edit] Royal blue (web color)
| Royal Blue (web color) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #4169E1 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (65, 105, 225) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (225°, 71%, 88%) |
| Source | X11 | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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The web color royal blue is a rich tone of azure.
[edit] Sky blue
| Sky Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
| — Common connotations — | ||
| boys, daylight, water, air, paleness | ||
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #87CEEB | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (135, 206, 235) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (197°, 43%, 92%) |
| Source | X11 color names | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
Displayed at right is the web color sky blue.
The first recorded use of sky blue as a color name in English was in 1728 in the Cyclopædia of Ephraim Chambers.[20] Prior to the Chambers reference, the color had first been used in 1585 in a book by Nicolas De Nicolay where he stated "the tulbant of the merchant must be skie coloured".[21][22]
[edit] Steel blue
| Steel Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #4682b4 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (70, 130, 180) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (207°, 61%, 71%) |
| Source | X11 | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Steel blue is a grayish tone of azure that resembles the color of steel.
[edit] True blue
| True Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #0073CF | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (0, 115, 207) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (207°, 100%, 81[23]%) |
| Source | Internet | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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The color true blue is a deep tone of azure that is the color of the uniforms of the sports teams of UCLA.
[edit] Tufts blue
| Tufts Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #417DC1 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (72, 145, 206) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (208°, 70%, 100%) |
| Source | Internet | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Tufts blue – is the tone of azure blue used in association with Tufts University.
[edit] United Nations blue
| United Nations Blue | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #4B92DB | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (75, 146, 219) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (210°, 66%, 86%) |
| Source | Vexillological | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
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Displayed at right is the color United Nations blue.
[edit] Wild blue yonder
| Wild Blue Yonder | ||
|---|---|---|
|
— Color coordinates — |
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| Hex triplet | #A2ADD0 | |
| RGBB | (r, g, b) | (162, 173, 208) |
| HSV | (h, s, v) | (226°, 22%, 81[24]%) |
| Source | Crayola | |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
||
Displayed at right is the color wild blue yonder.
This Crayola color was formulated in 2003. Apparently, it represents the color of the sky on a cloudy, stormy day.
[edit] Azure in nature
- Insects
- Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor), butterfly in the gossamer wings family, Lycaenidae
- Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), damselfly found in Europe
- Azure Hawker (Aeshna caerulea), dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae
- Birds
- Azure Gallinule (Porphyrio flavirostris), bird in the rail family, Rallidae
- Azure Jay (Cyanocorax caeruleus) bird in the crow family, Corvidae
- Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea), bird in the river kingfisher family, Alcedinidae
- Azure Tit (Cyanistes cyanus), bird in the tit family, Paridae
- Azure-crowned Hummingbird (Amazilia cyanocephala), hummingbird in the Trochilidae family
- Azure-hooded Jay (Cyanolyca cucullata), bird in the crow family, Corvidae
- Azure-naped Jay (Cyanocorax heilprini), bird in the crow family, Corvidae
- Azure-rumped Tanager (Tangara cabanisi), bird in the Thraupidae family
- Azure-shouldered Tanager (Thraupis cyanoptera), bird in the Thraupidae family
- Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyana), bird in the crow family, Corvidae
- The Splendid Fairywren (Malurus splendens), a passerine bird in the Maluridae family, is colored azure.
- The Variegated Fairywren has an azure colored crown.
- The Blue-and-yellow Macaw is one of the national birds of Brazil; it is colored bright sky blue and yellow.
[edit] Azure in human culture
- The planet Neptune is colored azure because of the prevalence of methane in the Neptunian atmosphere.
- Microsoft Corporation announced on 17 November 2009 it will launch its Windows Azure cloud computing system on 1 January 2010.[25]
- Azure Coast (Côte d'Azur) is a name commonly used for the French Riviera, part of France's southeastern coast on the Mediterranean.
Music
- Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink, that active primarily from 2001 to 2004, and since 2009.
- Azure Agony is the name of a Progressive Metal band hailing from Italy.
- "Azure Blue" is a jazz/blues fusion composition written by Edward Bland. Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie first recorded the tune on his 1969 live LP "Sweet Soul," which consisted entirely of Bland's compositions, and has since been reissued on several compilation packages.
- In Chinese mythology, the Azure Dragon is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the Azure Dragon of the East (simplified Chinese: 东方青龙; traditional Chinese: 東方青龍; pinyin: Dōng Fāng Qīng Lóng), and it is known as Seiryuu in Japan and Cheongryong in Korea. It represents the east and the spring season.
Religion
- In the teachings of the UFO religion the Unarius Academy of Science, the capital of Venus, which, like the Venusians themselves, is said to exist on a higher vibratory plane, is called Azure.[26]
Sports
- Some professional teams use the color sky blue:
[edit] References
- ^ web.forret.com | Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #007FFF (Azure):
- ^ Azure (color wheel) (color #007FFF) is defined as the color at 210 degrees on the RGB color wheel, i.e. the color halfway between blue and cyan.
- ^ RGB/HSV color wheel:
- ^ Oxford Dictionary showing word trace to Persian
- ^ "azure, n. and adj.". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. http://www.oed.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/Entry/14152. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Project Gutenberg EBook of Troilus and Criseyde". Troilus and Criseyde. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/257/257-h/257-h.htm. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190. Also Azure @ Dictionary.Reference.com. Also Azur @ CNRTL.fr (in french).
- ^ Rutherford J. Gettens and George L. Stout (1942) Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopedia, New York: Van Nostrand
- ^ (January 1967.) "The United Nations flag code and regulations" United Nations website. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ W3C TR CSS3 Color Module, SVG color keywords
- ^ web.forret.com | Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #F0FFFF (Azure (web color)):
- ^ Brandeis University Visual Identity Manual
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #4997D0 (Celestial Blue):
- ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 192; Color Sample of Celestial blue: Page 93 Plate 35 Color Sample D3
- ^ Plochere Color System:
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #0072BB (French Blue)
- ^ Color Sample of French Blue on ISCC-NBS color chart (color sample #178):
- ^ "French, adj. and n.". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. http://www.oed.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/Entry/74478. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #26619C (Lapis Lazuli)):
- ^ ww.oed.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/Entry/181142 "sky-blue, n. and adj.". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. http://w ww.oed.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/Entry/181142. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ "sky-coloured | sky-colored, adj.". Oxford English Dictionary. OUP. http://www.oed.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/Entry/181145. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 204; Color Sample of Sky Blue: Page 89 Plate 33 Color Sample E6
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #0073CF (True Blue):
- ^ web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #A2ADD0 (Wild Blue Yonder):
- ^ Microsoft to Launch Azure Cloud Service in 2010:—New York Times 17 November 2009
- ^ Norman, Ernst and Ruth The Voice of Venus 1954 Unarius Academy of Science
[edit] See also
- Azure (color used in heraldry)
- St. Patrick's Blue
- List of colors
