There’s something about that reddish-orange glow that makes neon lights so eye-catching. It might be the quirky designs, sexy song lyrics or inspirational quotes they showcase, but whatever it is, there’s no denying the appeal of a classic neon sign. But what are they, exactly? And how do they create that distinct glow?
Essentially, they work by drawing a high voltage across a glass tube filled with a noble gas (such as neon) and passing an alternating current through it. The alternating current causes the electrons in the gas to jump from one orbital to another, and as they do so, they release energy (light particles) into the surrounding atmosphere. The resulting glow is the result of that released energy.
The noble gases, which also include krypton and xenon, are all colorless, odorless inert gases that occur only in trace amounts in the Earth’s atmosphere (neon composes just 0.0018 percent of it). They were discovered by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers in 1898. They chilled a sample of air to make it liquid, then evaporated it and collected the resulting gas. They ran a voltage through it and saw that the gas glowed a brilliant crimson color. Ramsay and Travers named it based on its Greek meaning, “new.”
A neon sign uses a mix of these noble gases to create different colors. For example, a mixture of helium and neon will produce green, while one made with argon and neon will glow yellow. In order to produce the desired color, the atoms in the gas must be “ionized”—in other words, have an electron plucked from its outermost orbital. A voltage across the tube’s electrodes accelerates that free electron to a maximum kinetic energy and then it drops back down to its neutral state, emitting a light particle in the process.
Wow in The World Kids’ Binoculars & Nature Explorer KIT | Look Far, Nature Scavenger Hunt, Specimen Box, Companion Audio Content, Bonus Reusable Science Tool, STEM Toy for Kids 4+ by Thames & Kosmos
$6.95 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
STEM Kits for Kids Crafts 6-8 8-12, Boys Gifts Toys for 6 7 8 Year Old Boy Birthday Gift Ideas, STEM Toys Crafts 6+ 7+ yr, Robotics Science Kits Activities Robot Building Age 8-10 9 10 11 12 13 14
$18.99 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Insect Lore Raise and Release Butterfly Garden Kit – Caterpillar Habitat with redeemable Voucher – STEM-accredited Butterfly Growing Kit for Kids, Classrooms, and Homeschool Learning
$24.99 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
National Geographic STEM Science Kit - 15+ Experiments, Crystal Growing, Volcano Kit, Dig Kits & Gemstones for Kids - Amazon Exclusive
$29.99 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit, Over 100 Projects, Full Color Project Manual, 28 Parts, STEM Educational Toy for Kids 8 +
$26.99 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Doctor Jupiter Girls First Science Experiment Kit for Kids Ages 4-5-6-7-8| Birthday Gift Ideas for 4+ Year Old Girls| STEM Learning & Educational Toys
$32.99 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
National Geographic Break Open 10 Premium Geodes – Includes Goggles & 2 Display Stands - Great STEM Science Kit, Geology Gift for Kids, Break Your Own Geodes with Crystals
$31.99 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Smartivity DIY 2in1 Hydraulic Airplanes & Darts Launcher STEM Toy for Kids Ages 6 to 14 Years I Christmas, Birthday Gifts for Smart Kids | DIY Science Kit for Boys & Girls 6, 8,10,12,14 Years Old
$28.99 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Thames & Kosmos Ooze Labs Chemistry Station Science Experiment Kit, 20 Non-Hazardous Experiments Including Safe Slime, Chromatography, Acids, Bases & More, Multi-Color
$17.29 (as of October 29, 2025 05:14 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)