Sound is an example of a mechanical wave. Mechanical waves are the kinds of waves that cannot be propagated without a medium. As such, these waves cannot travel through a vacuum, just like how sound cannot travel through space, since space is a vacuum.
Sound travels at approximately 1,100 feet per second (766 miles per hour). Radio waves travel at the speed of light, which is approximately 186,000 miles per second. This means that in the time radio waves travel the length of a football field, light can travel further than all the way around the world.
If you're referring to the different colors that usually occur at the tip of missles, rockets and some other aircraft, it either a) signifies the end of a particular plate of metal, fabricated specifically to be for the nose. Sometimes these can even be a different alloy or metal all together. or b) this shows where the curved surface begins, so in the case of damage or imperfections due to wear, they can be repaired and measured more easily. The shape of the nose is extremely important for smooth flight, and a dent or bump formed on it can make the aircraft unstable. If you can measure from where the curve starts by the difference in color, it makes repairing or re-fabricating the part much easier. Many of these curves aren't as simple as they appear.
The area of the Earth (Ae) that is irradiated by is given by:
Ae = 4πRe^2, where Re = Distance from Sun to Earth
Substituting;
Ae = 4π*(1.5*10^8*1000)^2 = 2.827*10^23 m^2
On the Earth, insolation (We) = Psun/Ae
Therefore,
Psun (Rate at which sun emits energy) = We*Ae = 1.4*2.827*10^23 = 3.958*10^23 kW = 3.958*10^26 W
