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When you think of lightning bugs and glow sticks, what comes to mind?
You may think of catching lightning bugs in a jar on a hot summer evening. You might imagine how the lightning bugs fill your backyard with twinkling lights around sunset during this time of year. And you might recall playing with glow sticks at a Fourth of July party, at a sleepover, or at a summer festival.
Now, this question is a bit tougher: What do lightning bugs and glow sticks have in common?
What likely comes to mind is the super-cool light they give off! And no, that light isn’t some sort of magic. Instead, that light has some really awesome science behind it!
In This Week’s WOW, co-hosts Claire and John venture into the Biotechnology Learning Center to get the low-down on why things glow.
What did they find out?
The glowing light that comes from glow sticks and lightning bugs—all without giving off heat—is called “luminescence,” says John McCollum, supervisor of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ Biotechnology Learning Center.
To learn more about the science of luminescence, check out This Week’s WOW below:
So neat! What did you learn about luminescence? Can you think of any other things in the world around you that glow?
It’s amazing to think that science is all around us—even in the glow-in-the-dark stars on our bedroom ceiling! You can learn even more about luminescence at the Light Up Your Life! program in the Biotech lab. Check the Biotech program schedule for each month and plan your visit.
If you liked This Week’s WOW, be on the lookout for our next videos, which will show the biggest, the best and the WOW aspects of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.
