What makes something glow in the dark? The only explanation that I can come up with for what makes things glow in the dark is that there is probably a chemical reaction slowly releasing the light that was previously absorbed. Am I correct?
How does this phenomenon work?
Answer
When a glow stick breaks, it breaks a thin glass barrier on the inside that allows two different substances to come into contact, mix and react. I am not sure of the exact reaction that occurs, but when chemical bonds are broken they can emit photons (light). In this case, the photons emitted are in the visible spectrum.
The case for glow in the dark stickers is a bit different. All things are absorbing and releasing photons constantly, but in most cases, the photons aren't in the visible spectrum. Glow in the dark things absorb visible light and then release the photons as visible light. This is unlike most other objects which may release them as a lower frequency instead and thus not be visible.
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