Why does plankton glow?
359155
bioluminescence (bī'ōlū'mĭnĕs'əns) , production of light by living organisms. The production of light in bioluminescent organisms results from the conversion of chemical energy to light energy. Dinoflagellates have an interesting twist on this mechanism. When a predator of plankton is sensed through motion in the water, the dinoflagellate luminesces. This in turn attracts even larger predators which will consume the would-be predator of the dinoflagellate.
217101
Plankton are drifting organisms that inhabit the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water.\n\nAmoeba itself is found in freshwater, typically on decaying vegetation from streams, but is not especially common in nature. However, because of the ease with which they may be obtained and kept in the lab, they are common objects of study, both as representative protozoa and to demonstrate cell structure and function. The cells have several lobose pseudopods, with one large tubular pseudopod at the anterior and several secondary ones branching to the sides. The most famous species, A. proteus, is 700-800 μm in length, but many others are much smaller. Each has a single nucleus, and a simple contractile vacuole which maintains its osmotic pressure, as its most recognizable features.
988375
I think it has to do with when lightening hits the surface of the water it dis purses, and weakens!!  The lightening stays on the surface!!  Have a Great Day!  MB
747357
Because of gas. Different gases show different colors depending on the proximity to energy sources like stars. If a nebula is made of methane and it has a lot of stars within it then it will glow in rich colors compared to a nebula that has few or no stars within it to excite the gases.
674386
They are really altering thier color.  Cuttlefish, for example, have specialized pigment cells (chromatophores) that contain different colors. These cells compress or expand to increase or decrease the balance of the color in that area.  The overall effect is much like the pixels of your computer screen, different color concentrations and mixtures changing what you see.
59816
plankton and zooplankton
534725
I tell my sisters this is why fireflies glow\n\nThe reason fireflies glow is because one day a little beetle was flying through the woods and and had got lost it wondered for a while and found an old shack and in it was and wizard this wizard was kind and ask" can I help you" the little firefly said "yes,I am lost and need a way to find my way home.So the wizard granted his wish by giving him an ever lasting light that glow until the firefly dies then his light goes onto his kids
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So the answer to your specific question is 'no'.  The problem is that if the container shines, it means that light and energy is being lost and will eventually run out.  There are materials that will glow for a long time due to radioactive decay or via chemical processes, but all of these are using up their 'fuel' in the process and will eventually run out.\nSome radioactive substances have a pretty long half-life and will appear to glow steadily without much decay over the scale of a human lifetime.\nNow, to get more generalized... it is possible to trap light in a container that doesn't shine. Scientists have been able to free light in its place using supercooled clouds of sodium which are naturally opaque, but can temporarily transmit light when altered via a laser beam.  If the laser is shut off, a light beam that is passing through the cloud will be temporarily frozen in place.  Australian scientists have recently been able to extend this interaction to be nearly as long as a second.\nOnce the laser is reintroduced the beam is recovered and continues on its way.  Now all this is a little debatable, since the photons actually get temporarily swallowed up by the material.  The photons that come out afterwards have the same configuration and quantum state as what went in, but whether they are exactly the same photons is more of a question for philosophy than for physics.
1010156
Fireflies or lightning bugs make light within their bodies. This process is called bioluminescence and is shared by many other organisms, mostly sea-living or marine organisms. Fireflies light up to attract a mate. To do this, the fireflies contain specialized cells in their abdomen that make light.\n\nThe cells contain a chemical called luciferin and make an enzyme called luciferase. To make light, the luciferin combines with oxygen to form an inactive molecule called oxyluciferin
674006
By tube lamps I will make the assumption you are talking about Neon tubes.  Generally, Neon tubes are a combination of Neon and Helium with a small amount of Mercury in them.  The inside of the class is coated with white phosphor.  \n\nThe basis of operation is a high voltage transformer is used to cause the Neon gas to rise in energy level to the point it forms a plasma.  This is kind of like a spark that causes  the neon to suddenly glow, the energy emitted by the Neon is then absorbed by the phosphorous and re-emitted as a blueish white light.\n\nTo get the process started requires a higher amount of current then is available from the transformer and in older lamps a capacitor is used as a starter.  This capacitor charges up and then provides the current to get the Neon to start to glow originally.\n\nGenerally, the Neon lamps will only rise to the energy level in the presence of this high voltage from the transformer; however, I have seen cases in which either lightning or High energy radio waves can raise the energy level enough to cause them to begin to glow at a low level.  Generally the wires that are connected to the ends act as antennas and external energy radiated can be enough to cause the Neon to glow.\n\nIn failing neon tubes sometimes a conducting track begins to form on the inside of the lamp moving the conductor ends closer together, if the capacitors are not discharged it is possible that you might see a glow a second or two after the power has been shut off.  The you have another case in which the tube is already failed in that the anodes in the ends of the lamp tubes have broken down and the Neon does not rise in level required to glow.  And though they look like the power is off it is still on only there is not enough power reaching the gas in the tube to cause it to glow.  However, due to random heating or metallic vapor in the tube it is possible that the tubes will start to glow once in a while.\n\nDave Cooke
1082336
its the way the light reflects of the bits of water
395042
Yes, there is no light at the bottom of the ocean. Fish are extremely small, measureing about 3 to 6 inches and are bioluminecent - meaning they glow in the dark. For several reasons: Attracting food - other unsuspecting fish, or for mating. It is not easy finding a mate at the bottom of the ocean. The fish are small because food is scarce so potential for growth is naturally limited. The fish's eyes are usually large in proportion to the body size to allow the maximum amount of light in for vision, if they have eyes at all. There is snow, but not the kind you and I might know, it is called marine snow. It falls just like snow on land, and never stops. This consists mainly of tests, or shells, from dead marine organisms from the above waters, or organic matter. Organic matter is anything that contains carbon. The bottom of the ocean is a cool place. Have you heard of hydrothermal vents? They contain chemosynthetic organisms that obtain energy by breaking down inorganic chemicals. Humans rely on the sun for producing all of our energy. Well anyways I am rambling. But I like it.\n\nAlso remember at the bottom of the ocean there is pressure, much more than you feel at the surface of the earth. Thousands of pounds of pressure pushing in from all directions. Squish, squish.
143275
it's a dark water & if they put lights it might distract the lochness...\n\nand it will stop all the mystery and that was not fun anymore for the next generation.
1046132
A star produces it's own light, a planet does not, it merely reflects the light of the star. Because a star producing it's own light, it will glow brightly, dim, then glow again........this is the twinkling effect, much like the flame from a match, or any burning fire. :)
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Good question!\n\nOne of the coolest adaptations that deep sea organisms have is called bioluminescence.  This allows the organisms to actually produce their own light!  Many of these organisms use the light to attract mates.  Predatorial fish take advatange of this fact, and can lure in unsuspecting prey by simply producing light (in other words, they pretend to be a potential mate).\n\nThe depths of the ocean can be extremely cold, and food can be quite hard to find.  So these organisms have a tendency to gravitate towards sources of food (such as decaying matter) and sources of heat (watervents).  By simply 'coming together' to look for food and heat, they make it much easier to find a potential mate.
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Glow-in-the-dark stuff contains phosphor. \n\nI'd be bluffing like crazy if I tried to explain it.\n\nHere's a better link :)\n\nhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/question388.htm
863840
It's not accurate to say they happen in the dark because you need the products from the light dependent reaction (ATP and NADPH) for the Calvin cycle to take place.  In the dark there are no photons to excite an electron from chlorophyll.  No proton gradient develops so no ATP is made and the electrons from chlorophyll don't get excited and passed to NAPD+ to make NADPH.  Carbon dioxide can't be fixed to form sugars without these compounds so the "dark" reaction actually do NEED light (albeit indirectly).