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Glow in the dark products need to be charged by exposure to light in order to work. Once brought to a suitable light source, they begin to absorb this light energy. But the light energy is not stored in it like rechargeable batteries. Instead the light energy is absorbed and released at the same time. This release of light can only be seen in the dark. Hence the term “Glow in the Dark.”
Glow period (in hours) for our glow powders (the raw material), is displayed on our site at darkniteglow.com. This period refers to how long the products can glow in the dark, after a full charge.
This is where the confusion starts. Assuming you leave a glow product with the stated glow time of 8 hours, outdoors in the sun. Obviouslly it is going to get fully charged and glow for the stated period, provided it is brought in a dark place immediately. But if it is left outdoors, it would start discharging if the sun is blocked by clouds or during the time it takes for the sun to set. By the time the sun has completely set and it is dark, the glow product could have discharged half its light energy.
The main thing to take note off is that the glow period starts the moment the glow product is brought into a dark environment. Glow lifespan is a different topic altogether. Lifespan of the glowing effect is over 15 years. Meaning, you can re-charge it over and over again.
Glow in the dark is a process in which light energy absorbed by a substance and is released relatively slowly in the form of light, in the form of glow. This glow cannot be compared to electroluminescent products which use some form of electrical charge to generate light. Neon lights appear to glow but these are generated by electrical charges and not by any natural glow process of absorbing and releasing light energy.
Besides Neon, there are other forms of glow but these are made from Radium. Radium is a radioactive chemical element. Its appearance is white, but it oxidizes on exposure to air, turning black. As long as it is kept in a sealed state, normally in glass tubes, it can glow for years. If ever the enclosure were to break, it is a radioactive material and is dangerous.
The last form of chemical glow comes in the form of glow light sticks. These glow when two chemicals are mixed. These products are generally safe as long as the container is not punctured. They do not work on electricity or radioactive radium, but! through a chemical reaction. When the chemical reaction dies, the glow dies.
Now you might be asking as to whether it is still possible to create products which produce any form of luminance or glow in the dark without electricity, radiation or chemical reaction. The answer is Yes. Electrically charged Neon and Radioactive Radium aside, there are also materials made from Strothium aluminate. These materials glow in the normal phospherence process by absorbing light energy and giving out this energy in the dark. However the brightness of the glow cannot be compared to the brightness of Neon or Radium.
The safe and normal Glow in the dark material needs to be charged by exposure to light. Expose it to light and it glows. Glowin the dark products react better if exposed to UV Lights.
Ask anyone this question and they would be stumped. Some might even ask what is glow in the dark? I know pigs can’t fly but there are glow in the dark pigs. Besides being making it easier to catch these pigs at night, I see no use for glowing pigs.
Glow in the dark can be useful if it is used in the proper situation. Just like any product, glow in the dark, has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantage is that it needs no electrical power source to work. It still needs to be charged though but this can be done by exposing glow products to light. Again, no consumption of resorurces. Totally environment friendly.
Yamaha recently launched a scooter with a glow in the dark ipod dock. While the idea sounds neat, is it really useful? Not like you would take out your scooter in the dark and the most important thing would be to find out where to dock your ipod instead of starting your scooter first. Couldn’t they make their keys or key holes which are used to start the scooters glow in the dark! Wouldn’t that be more useful and practical.
Glow in the dark can be put to more practical uses and the first thing that comes to mind is in safety, like Glow in the dark signs can help in event of a sudden power failure.
Just like any product, glow in the dark can be useful and even life saving if used correctly to suit the application and not some fashion trend or just to be cool.
What is Glow in the Dark?
Glow in the Dark or Photo Luminous Technology is the process of absorbing and releasing light energy. You might have seen it before, on the hands or numbers of certain clocks and watches. In the dark, the hands or numbers give out a green glow, which is clearly visible in the dark for a few minutes and fades out totally within 20 minutes.
New developments in this product have resulted in products that glow for hours resulting in a commercial interest fot this technology.
