List of light sources

This is a list of sources of light, including both natural and artificial sources, and both processes and devices.

A typical light source emits electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum.

Contents 1 Combustion 2 Natural 2.1 Celestial and atmospheric light 2.2 Terrestrial 3 Direct chemical 4 Combustion-based 5 Electric powered 5.1 Electron stimulated 5.2 Incandescent lamps 5.3 Electroluminescent (EL) lamps 5.4 Gas discharge lamps 5.4.1 High-intensity discharge lamps 6 Other 7 See also 8 External links

Combustion

• Fire

Natural

Celestial and atmospheric light

• Astronomical objects
  • Sun (Sunlight (solar radiation))
    • Sunset & Sunrise
    • Corona
    • Photosphere
  • Starlight (Stars forming groups such as star clusters and galaxies and indirectly lighting nebulae)
    • Bright star (List of brightest stars)
    • Deep sky objects including quasars, accretion discs around black holes, blazars, magnetars, misc. nebulae, pulsars
  • Supernova
  • Milky Way
• Atmospheric entry (via ionization and/or heating) (Can be non-natural also)
  • Meteors
  • meteor showers (Category:Meteor showers, List)
  • Bolide
  • Earth-grazing fireball
• Lightning (Plasma (physics))
  • Sprite (lightning)
  • Ball lightning
  • Upper-atmospheric lightning
  • Dry lightning
• Aurorae
• Cherenkov radiation (from cosmic rays hitting atmosphere)
• Coronal mass ejection
• Gamma-ray burst

Terrestrial

• Bioluminescence
  • Luciferase - found in glowworms (Arachnocampa and Phengodidae), fireflies (Lampyridae), and certain bacteria
  • Aequorea victoria (a type of jellyfish)
  • Antarctic krill
  • Parchment worm (Chaetopterus), which exhibits blue bioluminescence despite having no light sensitivity
  • Cavitation bubbles
  • The common piddock (Pholas dactylus)
  • Foxfire, one of up to 71 known species of luminescent fungus
  • Glowworm
  • Sonoluminescence

• Volcanic
  • Volcanic eruption (lightning, heated material)
  • Lava
  • Lava flow
  • Lava lake
• Radioluminescence (man-made)
• Triboluminescence (also man-made)
• Earthquake light

Direct chemical

• Chemoluminescence (Lightsticks)
• Fluorescence
• Phosphorescence

Combustion-based

• Argand lamp
• Argon flash
• Acetylene/Carbide lamps
• Betty lamp
• Butter lamp
• Candles
• Flash powder
• Gas lighting
• Gas mantle
• Kerosene lamps
• Lanterns
• Limelights
• Oil lamps
• Rushlights
• Safety lamps
  • Davy lamps
  • Geordie lamps
• Torches

Electric powered

Electron stimulated

• Cathodoluminescence
• Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL light bulbs)
• Cathode ray tube (CRT monitor)
• Nixie tube

Incandescent lamps

• Carbon button lamp
• Conventional incandescent light bulbs
  • Flashlight
• Halogen lamps
• Globar
• Nernst lamp

Electroluminescent (EL) lamps

• Light-emitting diodes
  • Organic light-emitting diodes
  • Polymer light-emitting diodes
  • Solid-state lighting
  • LED lamp
• Electroluminescent sheets
• Electroluminescent wires

Gas discharge lamps

• Fluorescent lamps
  • Compact fluorescent lamps
  • Black light
• Inductive lighting
• Hollow cathode lamp
• Neon and argon lamps
• Plasma lamps
• Xenon flash lamps

High-intensity discharge lamps

• Carbon arc lamps
• Ceramic discharge metal halide lamps
• Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide lamps
• Mercury-vapor lamps
• Metal halide lamps
• Sodium vapor lamps
• Sulfur lamp
• Xenon arc lamps

Other

See also

• List of plasma (physics) applications articles
• Photometry (optics)
• Spectrometer
• Luminous efficacy

External links

• A CD spectrometer Color spectrographs of common light sources
• The Double Amici Prism Hand-Held Spectroscope in Practice - Dozens of raw visible spectra of a wide variety of light sources.