Skip to content

What Makes A Firework Light Up?

A lot of people love the spectacular display of light that fireworks put to the world. However, not many realize just how hard it is to create light shows we all are familiar with and love. Everything from how each sparkle travels to the colours that it shines in is created manually in the hope to create the most memorable experience you can get.

While we’re on the topic of colours, let’s speak about the two mechanisms responsible for the production of colours in fireworks that produce colour: incandescence and luminescence. We’ll also discuss the various types of materials that produce different colours to give you an concept of what’s required to create different colors in fireworks.

Luminescence

The term “luminescence” refers to the light produced not by heat directly however, it is produced by other methods. This means that luminescence is a form of light that is produced at lower temperatures as compared to the incandescent light created directly from heat. In fact, it can be created at room temperatures.

What happens on the ground? All it boils down to the atoms. It is possible to create luminescence by the atom’s ability to absorb energy, which in the case of firework, would be the heat that excites the atom itself. The atom’s energy causes it to emit energy in the forms of photons, which our eyes absorb and convert into light. The color of the photon on the other hand, depends on the wavelength that is directly affected due to the intensity of that photon.

Incandescence

As we’ve said that luminescence is the process of an atom absorption energy and sending it back out in the form of photons. This is different from incandescence, which is created directly by heat. As things get heated and hotter, they begin to glow, usually emitting certain lights like yellow, orange, red then white, the most powerful type of light.

With fireworks, such glow can be controlled through precise manufacturing and using various substances to allow the fireworks to reach the ideal temperature that produces a certain glow. These materials that create glows include titanium and aluminium, both of which increases your temperature on the fireworks significantly and cause the glow to be bright that illuminates the night sky.

The ingredients that cause color

After we’ve talked about incandescence and luminescence, let’s look at the various ingredients that are used to produce various colours. This will provide you with an understanding of the kind of material used to make the luminescence shows we have come to love, and provide you with an understanding of what’s required to make specific colours.

Did You Know? Galactic Fireworks are a firework shop supplying the whole of the UK.

Red fireworks are typically created with strontium salts or lithium salts. Green is produced by using barium compounds mixed with chlorine producer to keep the substance stable. White can be created through incandescence by using aluminium. This causes the light to be extremely bright. Blue is made with copper compounds and still mixed with a chlorine producer in order to create the colour. Finally, yellow is created through sodium nitrate and other sodium compounds.

In the case of any other color between, a combination of two hues is employed to produce specific outcomes. Purple, for instance, will require the components which produce green and red. It is clear just how complicated it can be to create certain colours and also to time their burning as well as their direction to make the light shows look even more amazing.

Conclusion

As you will see, the chemical process behind fireworks is quite complicated. It requires a lot of time and expertise to create high-quality fireworks. For the majority of these fireworks, it is reflected in the price. Therefore, if you want the best of the best fireworks to brighten up your night, we recommend buying more expensive fireworks. The cost isn’t only because of the magnitude or complexity of the firework, but also the effort of the company to ensure that it gives you the most satisfying experience!

Galactic Fireworks sells only the finest and most affordable fireworks to buyers , which ensures the security and enjoyment of every person! If you are searching for fireworks online for sale in the UK purchase now from us!