A Common Household Light bulb

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

Natural

The Sun.

Lightning can be a spectacular source of illumination.

• Astronomical objects
  • Fire
  • Sunlight (Solar radiation)
    • Skylight
    • Moonlight (via reflection)
    • planets, particularly Venus (via reflection)
    • comets (via reflection)
    • asteroids (via reflection)
  • meteors/meteor showers (via ionization)
  • Stars
    • Star clusters
    • Galaxies
      • quasars
  • Nebulae
  • accretion disks
• Bioluminescence
  • Glowworms (Arachnocampa and Phengodidae) and Fireflies (Lampyridae)
  • Aequorea victoria (a type of jellyfish)
  • Antarctic krill
  • Lux operon (a common marine bacterium)
  • Foxfire
• Lightning
• Aurorae
• Triboluminescence
• Magma
• Plasma (physics)

Direct chemical

• Chemoluminescence (Lightsticks)
• Fluorescence
• Phosphorescence

Combustion-based

See also: Combustion

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

Incandescent lamps

See also: Incandescence

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

Electroluminescent (EL) lamps

Main article: Electroluminescence

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

Gas discharge lamps

A standard household Compact fluorescent lamp.

Main article: Gas discharge lamp

• 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

Main article: High-intensity discharge lamp

• Ceramic discharge metal halide lamps
• Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide (HMI) lamps
• Mercury-vapor lamps
• Metal halide lamps
• Sodium vapor lamps
• Xenon arc lamps
• Sulfur lamps

Nuclear

• Radioluminescent paint (formerly used on watch and clock dials)
• Self-powered lighting

Other

See also

• Photometry (optics) Main Photometry/Radiometry article - explains technical terms
• Spectrometer

External links

• A CD spectrometerColor spectrographs of common light sources
• [1] Dozens of raw visible spectra of a wide variety of light sources.
• Candle Power Forums - an Internet forum dedicated to the discussion of light sources
• LED professional - A Technology Portal and Magazine about LEDs and its Lighting environment