What Causes the Color of a Flame?

Flames come in different colors because of how hot they are and what is burning inside them.

When you light a match or a candle, it starts to burn, and that makes flame. The color of the flame depends on its temperature, like how warm or cool something feels. A tiny blue flame from a lighter is super hot, while a big yellow flame from a campfire isn’t as hot.

• A blue flame means it's really hot, almost like fire magic in the sky.
• A yellow or orange flame is like when you're cooking on the stove, warm and cozy.
• Sometimes flames look red or white, and that means they’re even hotter than blue ones!

The color happens because of tiny particles called ions jumping around inside the flame. They shine in different colors based on how fast they're moving, which depends on how hot the flame is. It’s like when you shake a rainbow, every color shows up depending on how much energy it has!