Fire’s Heat Depends on Its Color 

From the campfire to BBQ parties, have you ever noticed the color difference of fire? Well, you may have seen the coolest flickers on a campfire. The color combines red and white then as the flame dances amid the logs. The substances are responsible for the color changing. The flares change their color according to the combusting elements. The hotter fire burns to produce more energy and appear in a different way than a typical fire.

These facts are beneficial to the astronomers to find out the temperatures and compositions of faraway stars.   

Thinking of red, it always reminds us of danger or something terrible. But not in the case of fire. The red flame is the coolest one considering the temperature. On the other hand, we admire the blue color in our society. Though blue is a lovely color, the blue flames of fire are one of the hottest ones worldwide. When any spark combines all the colors within it, it becomes white. The white fire is the hottest of all. 

Fire combustion and colors

Fire burning is the result of combustion, a chemical reaction. A combustion reaction occurs when fuel and a compound of oxygen, especially the molecular oxygen react chemically. Fire releases heat as being an exothermic reaction. The dance of flame we see atop and within the burning substance appears to us in different colors. The color is dependent on the amount of heat the flame releases. As a result, cool flames are red and white flashes are hot. The hotter the fire becomes, the more it changes its color. If the fire continues to gain heat more and more, it changes its color from red to orange, then to yellow and at last to blue. If the fire appears white to you, it means it is emitting all the colors at a time.

Fire Temperatures and Colors

Combustion is a slow process in raising the temperature slowly. This gradual rising of the temperature at one time reaches a certain point that the fuel gets vaporized and combines with oxygen. When temperatures reach 932 degrees Fahrenheit, the red glow becomes visible. The temperature range from 1,112 and 1,832 degrees F, shows you red flames. To see the orange flame, you need a temperature between 1,832 and 2,192 degrees F. This orange flame turns into yellow when the heat is between 2,192 and 2,552 degrees F. If the temperature reaches higher, you can see the blue-violet fire. 

Color and Chemical Reactions

The color of the flame not only depends on the temperature but also depends on the chemical composition of the fuel. There is a variety of chemicals apparent in the ammunition. The chemicals present in the fuels also react differently to oxygen. During these oxidizing reactions, the colors appear naturally based on the amount of energy release. For instance, you can think of fireworks. Manufacturers use barium in the firecrackers that produce a green-colored flame. You also have noticed the blue layer around the base of a gas burner or candle flame. It is because of the oxidization of carbon and hydrogen. When they oxidize entirely, they produce violet and blue flares and become visible to you. 

The Colors of Stars

To measure or assume the temperature of a star, the astronomers rely on its color observation. Black-body radiation is electromagnetic radiation, and all the objects in the universe emit this much radiation. If the temperature changes, its radiation energy, and wavelength also change.

The objects that emit red or infrared light can not be as hot as the objects emitting violet or ultraviolet light. The orange, yellow, and blue light remain between this range. Besides all these colors, the stars also emit green rays. But we can not see this color. The stars don’t emit only green light but with other colors. So, green remains invisible to different colors effect. All the stars are unique as they have their spectrum. The spectrum of a specific star gives the astronomers more information to study its temperature and the atmospheric elements in that star.