What Makes Fireworks Burst Into Those Crazy Colors?

Every Fourth of July, the sky explodes with reds, blues, greens, and golds while people across America celebrate Independence Day. But have you ever wondered how fireworks get their colors in the first place?

Turns out, it's all about chemistry - and the answer is way cooler than you might think.

It's All About the Metal

Inside every single firework sits a carefully planned mixture of metals and salts that decides what colors will show up when it explodes. Different metals burn in completely different colors when they get heated to insane temperatures.

Want red fireworks? You need strontium. Looking for brilliant greens? Barium does the trick. Those stunning blue bursts come from copper burning at just the right heat.