Does Fire Have a Shadow?

Have you ever wondered if fire has a shadow? Learn the physics behind the illuminating relationship between flames and light.

By Marisa Sloan
May 30, 2023 6:00 PM
Lit candles and their shadows
(Credit: Prachi Gangwal/Shutterstock)

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Unless you’re Peter Pan, you can’t lose your shadow. At least, not permanently. 

Shadows crop up wherever light is obstructed by an object, and they come in a range of shapes and sizes. In 2012, for example, physicists captured the first-ever view of an atomic shadow by shining a laser at a single ytterbium atom in a vacuum chamber. 

And on a much larger scale, our moon blocks the light of the Sun from reaching Earth during solar eclipses. Millions of people will witness this firsthand in 2024, when a much-anticipated totality is projected to sweep across North America.

But what happens if the obstruction itself is a light source, too — like a candle’s flame or a roaring campfire?

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