Seattle photographer Tim Durkan took these spectacular photos of last night’s fireworks— the first Seafair fireworks show on Lake Union in 3 years.
He uses slightly longer exposures that make the fiery blooms look even better than in real life, I suspect.
Facebook: Tim Durkan Photography
Instagram: @TimDurkan
Twitter: @TimDurkan
The colors in fireworks come from the salt compounds of barium, copper and strontium.
Blue is hard to create: the copper compounds for the blues do not hold up well in high heat. The search is still on for other compounds after all this time!
| Compound | Formula | Function | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barium Chloride | BaCl₂ | Color Agent | Greens |
| Barium Nitrate | Ba(NO₃)₂ | Oxidizer | Greens |
| Copper Carbonate | CH₂Cu₂O₅ | Color Agent | Blues |
| Copper Chloride | CuCl₂ | Color Agent | Blues |
| Magnalium | Mg-Al alloy | Heat & light | Neutral |
| Potassium Perchlorate | KClO₄ | Oxidizer | Stars & flashes |
| Sodium Oxalate | C₂Na₂O₄ | Color Agent | Yellows, Gold |
| Strontium Carbonate | SrCO₃ | Color Agent | Reds |
| Strontium Chloride | SrCl₂ | Color Agent | Reds |
| Strontium Nitrate | Sr(NO₃)₂ | Oxidizer | Reds |