List of light sources

This is a list of sources of light. Light sources include light bulbs and stars like the Sun. Reflectors (such as the moon, cat's eyes, and mirrors) do not actually produce the light that comes from them.

Incandescence[]

Incandescence is the emission of light from a hot body as a result of its temperature.

• Nernst lamp (Defunct)
• Volcanic eruption
  

  Volcanic eruption

Combustion[]

Lamps[]

• Argand lamp (Defunct)
• Argon flash
• Carbide lamp
• Coleman lantern
• Betty lamp (error)
• Butter lamp
• Flash-lamp (error)
• Gas lighting
• Gas mantle
• Kerosene lamps
• Koniaphostic light, see Limelight
• Lanterns
• Limelights (Defunct)
• Oil lamps
  

  Oil lamp
• Tilley lamp

Other[]

• Brazier
• Bunsen burner
• Candle
  

  Candle
• Embers
• Explosives
• Fire
  

  Fire
• Fire whirl
  

  Fire whirl
• Fireworks
  

  Fireworks
• Flamethrower
• Muzzle flash
• Rubens' tube
• Torch

Nuclear and high-energy particle[]

• Annihilation
• Nuclear bomb
• Cherenkov radiation
• Synchrotron radiation
• Free electron laser
• Bremsstrahlung

Celestial and atmospheric[]

• Astronomical objects
  • Sun (sunlight, solar radiation)
    • Solar corona
    • Photosphere
  • Stars (Starlight)
    • Nova / supernova / hypernova
    • Galaxies
      • Milky Way
    • Star clusters
  • Deep sky objects
    • Quasars
    • Accretion discs
    • Blazars
    • Magnetars
    • Pulsars
• Atmospheric entry
  • Meteors
    

    Meteor
    • Meteor showers
  • Bolide
    • Earth-grazing fireball
• Lightning (Plasma)
  • Sprite (lightning)
  • Ball lightning
  • Upper-atmospheric lightning
  • Dry lightning
• Aurorae
• Čerenkov radiation

Luminescence[]

Luminescence is emission of light by a substance not resulting from heat.

Aventurescence[]

In gemology, aventurescence (sometimes called aventurization) is an optical reflectance effect seen in certain gems.

Bioluminescence[]

Bioluminescence is light resulting from biochemical reaction by a living organism.

• Aequorea victoria
• Antarctic krill
• Biophotons
• Cavitation bubbles
• Firefly
• Foxfire
• Glowworm
• Luciferase
• Panellus stipticus
  

  Bioluminescent panellus stipticus
• Parchment worm
• Piddock
• Angler fish

Cathodoluminescence[]

Cathodoluminescence is light resulting from a luminescent material being struck by electrons.

Chemiluminescence[]

Chemiluminescence is light resulting from a chemical reaction.

Cryoluminescence[]

Cryoluminescence is the emission of light when an object is cooled.

Crystalloluminescence[]

Crystalloluminescence is light produced during crystallization.

Electric discharge (Electrical energy)[]

• Main article: Electric arc
  • Arc lamp
  • Flashtube
• Main article: Electrostatic discharge
  • Lightning
  • Electric spark
• Main article: Gas discharge lamp
  • Electrodeless lamp
  • Excimer lamp
  • Fluorescent lamp
    • Compact fluorescent lamp
    • Tanning lamp
    • Black lights
    • Geissler tube
    • Moore tube (Defunct)
    • Ruhmkorff lamp (Defunct)
  • High-intensity discharge lamp
    

    High-intensity discharge lamp
    • Carbon arc lamp
    • Ceramic discharge metal-halide lamp
    • Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide lamp
    • Mercury-vapor lamp
    • Metal-halide lamp
    • Sodium-vapor lamp
    • Sulfur lamp
    • Xenon arc lamp
  • Hollow-cathode lamp
  • Induction lighting
    • Sulfur lamp
      

      Sulfur lamps
  • Neon and argon lamps
    • Dekatron (Defunct)
      

      Dekatron
    • Nixie tube
  • Plasma lamp
  • Xenon flash lamp

Electrochemiluminescence[]

Electrochemiluminescence is light resulting from an electrochemical reaction.

Electroluminescence[]

Electroluminescence is light resulting from an electric current being passed through a substance.

• Light-emitting diodes
• Organic light-emitting diodes
• Polymer light-emitting diodes
• AMOLED
• Light-emitting electrochemical cell
• Electroluminescent wires
• Field-induced polymer electroluminescent
• Laser
  

  Lasers
  • Chemical laser
  • Dye laser
  • Free-electron laser
  • Gas dynamic laser
  • Gas laser
  • Ion laser
  • Laser diode
  • Metal-vapor laser
  • Nonlinear optics
  • Quantum well laser
  • Ruby laser
  • Solid-state laser

Mechanoluminescence[]

Mechanoluminescence is light resulting from a mechanical action on a solid.

• Triboluminescence, light generated when bonds in a material are broken when that material is scratched, crushed, or rubbed
• Fractoluminescence, light generated when bonds in certain crystals are broken by fractures
• Piezoluminescence, light produced by the action of pressure on certain solids
• Sonoluminescence, light resulting from imploding bubbles in a liquid when excited by sound

Photoluminescence[]

Photoluminescence is light resulting from absorption of photons.

• Fluorescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation
• Phosphorescence, the delayed re-emission of light by substance that has absorbed it

Radioluminescence[]

Radioluminescence is light resulting from bombardment by ionizing radiation.

Thermoluminescence[]

Thermoluminescence is light from the re-emission of absorbed energy when a substance is heated.

See also[]

• List of reflected light sources
• Luminous efficacy
• Photometry (optics)

References[]

External links[]

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• A CD spectrometer Color spectrographs of common light sources