How does glow in the dark stuff work

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Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Updated January 03, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Some examples of this type of luminescence include items like a computer screen and white LED lights.

Chemiluminescence makes things glow by creating a chemical reaction. The electrons within the object become excited because of the reaction between two chemicals, and the electrons give off energy by glowing. Glow sticks are a good example of this process, since they require you to mix the chemicals inside to make the stick light up.

You likely won't see many things sold at the store using radioluminescence, but it is another form of luminescence that can cause things to glow. This type of luminescence refers to items that glow due to nuclear radiation.

One of the coolest forms of luminescence is called bioluminescence, which refers to living things that glow in the dark. These creatures have an internal process that causes a chemical reaction and creates a bright light. Some examples of animals that use bioluminescence include fireflies, some species of deep-sea fish, jellyfish, certain algae, and even a few species of plants like mushrooms. If you're curious about things that glow in the dark and want to play around with glowing things and learn more about how they work, check out these amazing resources.

In a TV screen, an electron beam strikes the phosphor to energize it see How Television Works for details. In a fluorescent light, ultraviolet light energizes the phosphor. In both cases, what we see is visible light. A color TV screen actually contains thousands of tiny phosphor picture elements that emit three different colors red, green and blue.

In the case of a fluorescent light, there is normally a mixture of phosphors that together create light that looks white to us. Chemists have created thousands of chemical substances that behave like a phosphor. Phosphors have three characteristics:.

To make a glow-in-the-dark toy, what you want is a phosphor that is energized by normal light and that has a very long persistence.

Two phosphors that have these properties are Zinc Sulfide and Strontium Aluminate. Strontium Aluminate is newer -- it's what you see in the "super" glow-in-the-dark toys. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Glow in the dark is a much loved phenomenon that engages kids and adults alike and adds that little extra magic to toys and room decorations think glow in the dark stars , but just what is glow in the dark, and how does it work?

Glow in the dark or photoluminescent materials carry inorganic phosphors that absorb light in the visible and ultra violet wavelengths and then re-emit visible light, or a "glow".

Most glow in the dark pigments and materials use the phosphors zinc sulphide or the newer strontium aluminate which produces a brighter glow over a longer period of time. Strontium aluminate has a much longer persistence glow time than zinc sulphide and so higher quality glow products will use this phosphor over the latter. Glow in the dark luminance fades after time. Typically, the light released will be brighter immediately after charge and for the first half hour as the atoms are excited and will begin to fade gently as the atoms calm down.

Glow in the dark product using zinc sulphide will glow for up to half an hour, whereas products using strontium aluminate will glow for up to a whopping twelve hours! Remember, the phosphors need to absorb light to re-emit light and some light is better absorbed than others. Ultra violet light works best and charges in the fastest time.

How adapted your eyes are to the dark will affect the brightness of the glow that your eyes perceive. The more adapted to the dark your eyes are, the brighter the glow that you will see.

In fact the glow will appear to be brightening the more adapted your eyes become! Ambient light affects the perceived glow of photoluminescent materials as the light draws your eyes and detracts them from the darkness. Glow in the dark products are best viewed in total darkness as the eyes are allowed to adapt, perceiving a much brighter glow. Ever wondered why glow in the dark stuff is green?