Thursday, July 05, 2012
Where the colors of fireworks come from
Boing Boing: The Works is a kids science and tech museum in Bloomington, Minnesota, just a few miles from where I live in Minneapolis. Today, they had this cool chart up on their Facebook page, explaining which chemicals produce the colors you see in fireworks.
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2 comments:
I have always been a fan of pryo and am fascinated by the chemistry that goes into the creation of these effects. Most people when watching the fourth of july just look at the colors, while I am analyzing the composition of the individual shells. I think this idea and technology is very cool and could have some major uses in theatre if able to be controlled well. Maybe some small controlled charges on stage that could use this technology to create different colors? Or instead of using solid materials like in fireworks, pump the different types of gas to the stage and light it on fire to create incredible green, or purple, or blue, washes on fire onstage and truly amaze the audience. Fire is always a tough thing to work with because of the safety concerns, but if the careful control that is needed is developed, I can see things like the green flames from the fireplaces in Harry Potter enveloping actors during their exit in the near future.
Pyrotechnics is a very interesting subject, and until I read this article, I never had thought about what makes them look the way they do. Now that I see what goes in to making the fireworks a specific color, I see how even more interesting the process and mechanics of pyrotechnics can be. It leads me to even wonder about how other parts of a firework might be made, and what other materials go into one. In addition, this could be very helpful for theaters in the near future with flash pots, smoke, and other similar pyrotechnic-like effects. Very cool!
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