Did You Know: Orange?

 by Nathaniel Gingell

5th century image of a carrot

Sinosauropteryx was a rare dinosaur that was orange. Its name means ‘First Chinese Dragon Feather’ as it was covered in orange feathers.

The name “orange” was given to the colour orange in approximately 1500 and before that it was called “saffron” or “yellow-red”.

Buddhist monks wear orange robes because that dye has been easy to make historically.

The orange colour in fruits and vegetables comes from something called carotene.  

The colour orange is often found in nature and so many natural ingredients can make orange dye. Examples are : paprika, carrots, turmeric and eucalyptus.

Orange cats are not rare: but only about 20% of them are female.

There is a large orange star called Orange Arcturus.  It is in the constellation called Bootes the Herdsman - and is seen when looking east (or West if you live in the east).