We are taught the rainbow is composed of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet, and sometimes that there are invisible colors, infrared and ultraviolet, on either side. And we learn that ...

For example, a red object appears "redder" on a green background than on a white background. In other words, neighboring colors can change how we perceive certain hues.

So a pure red object reflects red and absorbs other colors. While some systems work by amplifying small amounts of light, those don’t work in total darkness.