Can You Capture Your Shadow? — Here’s How

Can you really capture your own shadow? In this glowing science experiment, Museum Educator Jeannine experiments with a special sheet coated in glow-in-the-dark pigment and a super bright light source to create something surprising — a shadow that lingers even after the light turns off!

Here’s what’s happening: when we shine a bright light on the pigment, it absorbs the energy, but any areas we block (like with our body) prevent the pigment from charging. Once the light is off, the glowing sheet reveals a clear shadow — not made of darkness, but made by the absence of stored energy!

✨ This phenomenon is known as phosphorescence — a process where materials continue to emit light after exposure to energy. It's like a slow-release glow! The pigment’s electrons get excited to a higher energy level and then gradually return to their normal state, releasing light as they go.