Fireworks are a spectacular combination of chemistry, physics, and engineering. Every explosion that lights up the sky over Pamplona is the result of carefully designed reactions that produce specific colors, shapes, and effects. Inside each shell are black powder, explosive charges, and small spheres called “stars,” which contain different metallic salts responsible for the colors we see.
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When black powder ignites, it generates a large amount of heat. This energy excites the electrons of the metallic atoms, causing them to jump to higher energy levels. As they return to their original state, they release energy in the form of light. Each chemical element produces a characteristic color: strontium creates red tones, copper produces blue, barium green, sodium yellow, and calcium orange. Blue is one of the most difficult and expensive colors to achieve because it requires very precise temperatures. If the heat is too intense, the color degrades and takes on whitish or greenish tones.
Shapes also have a scientific explanation. The pyrotechnic stars are arranged inside the shell according to specific geometric patterns. When the explosive charge detonates, the stars are propelled outward while maintaining this distribution, creating circles, palm trees, rings, and more complex figures. The height of the explosion is also carefully calculated through the amount of lifting powder and the length of the delay fuse. The largest fireworks launched during San Fermin can reach heights of nearly 200 meters.
Some colors, such as white, silver, and gold, are not produced by the light emission of metallic salts but by incandescence. Metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium burn at temperatures above 2,000°C and emit an intense white light. Thanks to the combination of all these chemical reactions and physical principles, fireworks transform energy, light, and geometry into one of the most iconic spectacles of the San Fermin festival.
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In summary: Fireworks involve a great deal of science
When chemicals burn, they release energy and light
Each chemical produces a different color That is why fireworks display so many colors and shapes
