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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body If something is perfectly black, then that means that the radiation it is emitt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body If something is perfectly black, then that means that the radiation it is emitting is a perfect black body spectrum, unadorned with spectral emission and absorption lines. If you were to raise its temperature to 4000K or so, it would emit white light, but it would still be "black". This feature would indeed make it useful for calibrating equipment, as the radiation emitted from it would be very predictable, depending on its temperature.

jerf 12y ago
I'm talking about color strictly from the human eye perspective, which I may not have spelled out but ought to be clear. Black body emissions into the visible spectrum at room temperature are insignificant. If that were not the case, nature would probably have chosen a different "visible spectrum".
- mnw21cam 12y ago
  Not necessarily. I can imagine it would be a remarkably useful trait for an organism to be able to see far infra-red, where everything is glowing. See in the dark!
  - jerf 12y ago
    Aren't you just the argumentative one?
deleted 12y ago
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