Neon Colors

We discussed neon colors today in class, and there was some confusion as to where on the color wheel neon colors are and how they are made.

Apparently neon colors are created by chemicals that absorb very short wavelengths of UV light and re-emit some of the light in the visible wavelengths. These chemicals are then mixed with normal pigments and dyes to create a neon color. In normal colors, we only see the reflected light of the visual spectrum and the rest is absorbed. The normal reflected light plus the re-emitted light from the chemicals creates a reflectance of over 100%, for one or more of the eye's three color bands (Red,Green, or Blue). Therefore our eyes interpret this as unnaturally bright color.

To learn more about the science check out my source.