--- description: How do fireworks work? The same way the universe does. title: Explore the Science Behind Fireworks—and the Galaxy image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b6dee84fd8e3776/69885943cd1bba72de6fc165/fireworks-still.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Science of Why We Love Fireworks by [Salima Koroma](/author/salima-koroma/) and [Ainissa Ramirez](/author/ainissa-ramirez/) Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:32 AM CUTPublished: Jul 1, 2015 2:57 PM CUT  Fireworks illuminate the night sky above the Washington Monument (L) during Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2012\. Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in US commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GettyImages) Fireworks illuminate the night sky above the Washington Monument (L) during Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2012\. Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in US commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GettyImages)JEWEL SAMAD—AFP/Getty Images by [Salima Koroma](/author/salima-koroma/) and [Ainissa Ramirez](/author/ainissa-ramirez/) Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:32 AM CUTPublished: Jul 1, 2015 2:57 PM CUT To you and me, watching fireworks is an age-old pastime best spent with people you love. But to astronomers, seeing those beautiful colors light up the night sky—like they will across the world on New Year’s Eve—means something entirely different. The chemistry that enables people to see the array of colors during a fireworks show, is the same chemistry that allows astronomers to see stars and planets hundreds of light years away. Watch materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez explain how this is possible. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3943140/science-fireworks-galaxy-astronomy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3943140/science-fireworks-galaxy-astronomy/"},"headline":"The Science of Why We Love Fireworks","datePublished":"2015-07-01T14:57:32.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T05:32:27.000Z","description":"How do fireworks work? The same way the universe does","url":"https://time.com/3943140/science-fireworks-galaxy-astronomy/","keywords":["Space","galaxy","Science topic","fireworks","fourth of july","independence day","July 4"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b6dee84fd8e3776/69885943cd1bba72de6fc165/fireworks-still.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Salima Koroma","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/salima-koroma/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Ainissa Ramirez","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ainissa-ramirez/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b6dee84fd8e3776/69885943cd1bba72de6fc165/fireworks-still.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Fireworks illuminate the night sky above","caption":"Fireworks illuminate the night sky above","creditText":"JEWEL SAMAD—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3943140/science-fireworks-galaxy-astronomy/","name":"The Science of Why We Love Fireworks"}}]}] ```