P2 9 The Lack of Colour from Outer Space

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the properties of the Outer Ones from the H.P. Lovecraft short
story The Whisperer from the Darkness, specifically their apparent invisibility in photographs.
We derive a simple optical model considering the dependence of reflectance on the wavelength of
incident light. We find that for photographs taken with a 1930s-style camera, the Outer Ones
must have a refractive index that increases with wavelength, controlled by a dispersion coefficient
of B = −0.59 μm².