How to Make Galaxy Glow in the Dark Jars

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Last Updated: August 12, 2024 References

Galaxy glow-in-the-dark jars are magical looking glowing jars that sparkle in the darkness. Glow sticks will give you the brightest glow, but they won't last forever. Glow-in-the-dark paint may not have the brightest glow, but you will be able to use your jar again and again. This article will show you a few different ways of making a glowing galaxy jar.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making a Starry Galaxy Jar

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1
Gather your supplies. This galaxy jar is simple and easy to make. Because you will be painting it with glow-in-the-dark paint, you can use it again and again. Here's a list of what you will need:^{[1]
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- Mason jar
- Glow-in-the-dark paint
- Paint brush
- Paint pallet or paper plate
- Rubbing alcohol
It would be a good idea to do this, even if the jar looks clean. Any dust or dirt that's on the jar will prevent the paint from sticking. Be sure to scrub off any labels and glue residue.

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Soak a cotton ball with some rubbing alcohol and wipe down the jar. Be sure to get both the inside and the outside. This will get rid of any residue and oils that the soap missed.
4
Choose your paint. You can use any color of glow-in-the-dark paint, but colors such as yellow and orange might look more like stars than purple and green. Glow-in-the-dark paint usually comes in two different forms: liquid paint and puff paint. Liquid glow-in-the-dark paint is just like any acrylic paint and needs to be put in with a paintbrush. Puff paint comes in a bottle with a pointy tip. You can draw with it straight from the bottle.
- You can find puff paint in the t-shirt and fabric paint section of an arts and crafts store. It may also be labeled as "3D paint" or "dimensional paint." It has a slightly raised surface when it dries.
5
Pour a coin-sized drop of paint onto a pallet or paper plate. It will be easier to dip your paintbrush into a little puddle of paint than into a bottle of paint. Do not pour out too much paint at one time. Most acrylic paints dry quickly. If you pour out too much paint, it may dry up before you finish using it.
- If you are using puff paint, you don't need to do this, because you can apply the paint straight from the bottle.
6
Dip the paintbrush into the paint, and make small dots on the jar. You can paint inside the jar or outside the jar. Painting on the outside will be easier, but the paint will be more likely to get scratched off. Painting on the inside will be harder, but the paint will last longer.
- If you are using puff paint, simply take the cap off, and start making little dots all over the jar.
This will make your jar resemble the night sky even more. Look up some of your favorite constellations, and try to copy the pattern onto the jar. Orion, the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper are popular ones.
8
Leave the jar in the sun so that the paint can dry. Most paints should dry within two hours, but some paints (such as puff paints) may take longer. Read the label for more specific drying times. Once the paint is dry, you can put the lid back on. This is not necessary, since there is nothing inside the jar that can fall out.
- The sunlight will also activate the glowing particles in the paint.
If the jar does not glow, you might need to leave it under a bright light for a little longer. Most glow-in-the-dark paints need to sit under a bright light for at least two hours.^{[2]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Making a Swirling Galaxy Jar

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1
Gather your supplies. This jar is liquid inside, so it swirls when you shake it or turn it upside down. It also uses glow-in-the-dark paint, so you can use it over and over again. Here's a list of what you will need:^{[3]
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- Mason jar
- Hair gel
- Glitter glue (or clear school glue and glitter)
- Glow-in-the-dark paint
- Glow-in-the-dark plastic stars
- Water (optional)
- Super glue (recommended)
Wash your jar with soap and warm water, and scrub off any sticky residue using cooking oil and a scouring pad. Wash the jar again with more soap and water, and wipe it down with rubbing alcohol when you are done.
3
Fill the bottom ¼ of the jar with glitter glue. If you can't find glitter glue, use clear glue instead and add some super fine glitter. The more glitter you add, the more sparkly your jar will be.
- Great colors include blue, purple, and silver. You can even add in some star-shaped glitter, if you want.
- It doesn't matter what color you use, but some colors will work better for a night sky than others, such as silver, blue, or purple.
Try to match the paint color to the glitter glue color. If you mix opposite colors together (such as blue and yellow) you may get a different color that does not look like the night sky at all. Great colors include blue and purple.
You can use clear hair gel, or tinted hair gel. If you are using tinted hair gel, try to use "night" colors such as purple or blue.
They are the same type that you stick onto your ceiling at night. Some sets also include planets. If you can't find any, try using some star-shaped glitter or glow-in-the-dark glitter instead.
You can also put super glue around the entire rim of the jar before you put the lid on. This will prevent kids from opening the jar and spilling everything inside.
The stars should move slowly through the gel when you shake it. If they don't move at all, the gel might be too thick. Try adding a few tablespoons of water, closing the jar, and shaking it. This will thin out the gel a little, and let everything swirl inside easier.^{[4]
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Some paints will become activated in as little as 15 minutes while others will need up to 2 hours. Once the time is up, take the jar into a dark room and watch the stars glow. If the jar doesn't glow, leave it under the bright light for a little longer.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making a Nebula Galaxy Jar

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1
Gather your supplies. You can use different colors, such as orange, pink, and blue, to make this jar look like a nebula. You can also use nighttime colors, such as purple and blue, to make the jar look more like the night sky. Here's a list of what you will need:^{[5]
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- Mason jar
- Water
- Cups for mixing paint
- Glow-in-the-dark paint (3 to 4 different colors)
- 1 bag of cotton balls
- Glitter
- Star-shaped glitter (optional)
- Wooden stick or chopstick
Wash it with some soap and water, and peel off the label. If there is any sticky residue, you can scrub it off using some cooking oil and a scouring pad. Be sure to wash the oil off with more soap and water. Wipe the jar down with some rubbing alcohol when you are done.
Fill a cup with ½ cup (120 milliliters) of water. Add a few drops of glow-in-the-dark paint. Stir the water with a spoon until the paint is mixed in and there are no streaks. The more paint you add, the brighter your jar will be. The less paint you add, the lighter it will be. Repeat this step with a new cup for each color of paint that you are using.
Gently unroll each cotton ball and fluff it up a little. You don't want it to be shaped like a ball.
5
Fill the bottom of the jar with cotton balls. How thick you make the layer will depend on how many colors of paint you are using, and how many rows of color you want. Here are some guidelines to get you started:
- If you are using 3 different colors, fill the jar 1/3 of the way with cotton balls.
- If you are using 4 different colors, fill the jar ¼ of the way with cotton balls.
You can use whatever color of glitter you want, but gold or silver will look the most real. You can also sprinkle in some star-shaped glitter as well for a more realistic effect.
Stop when the paint water reaches the top of the cotton balls. If you need to, tap down on the cotton balls with a wooden stick or spoon. You want them to be just under the water. Don't worry if the glitter floats to the top of the water.
Keep repeating these steps until you have used all your colors and the jar is full.
Tap the cotton balls with the stick. You can even slide the stick between the cotton balls and the glass wall of the jar. You don't have to do this, but it will help blend the colors together.
If you are going to be giving this to a small child, you may want to put super glue around the rim of the jar first, so that he or she doesn't open the jar and spill everything.
If the paint is not glowing, you will need to leave it under a bright light for a bit longer.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making a Temporary Galaxy Jar

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1
Gather your supplies. This galaxy jar uses glow sticks, so it will not glow forever. Most glow sticks will only glow for a few hours, so plan on making this jar just before you want to use it. The best time to see this jar glow is at night, when everything is dark. Here's a list of what you'll need:
- Mason jar
- Latex or vinyl gloves (recommended)
- Scissors or craft knife
- Strainer
- Glow sticks
- Tulle or water beads (optional)
- Glitter
This project can get a little messy, so it might be a good idea to cover your table or counter with several sheets of newspaper. You could also try working over a sink or outside.
Wash your mason jar with soap and warm water and let it dry. If there are any labels, try peeling them off. You can remove the label residue by covering it with some cooking oil and scrubbing it with a scouring pad. Be sure to clean the oil off with some soap and water, and to wipe the area down with some rubbing alcohol.
4
Place a strainer over the mouth of the jar. Glow sticks have glass tubes inside of them. When you activate a glow stick, the glass tube will shatter. The strainer will catch the glass shards.
- Don't use this strainer for cooking again. Even if you clean it well, there may still be tiny bits of glass caught in it.
You can use any color of glow stick you want, but some colors, such as blue, purple, and white, might look more like a night sky than others.
This will help protect your skin against the chemicals. It will also protect you from the glass shards inside the glow stick.
Try cutting the glow stick over the jar, so that you don't spill and waste any of the liquid inside. If you are a child, ask an adult to help you with this step.
8
Empty the contents into the jar. Turn the glow stick upside down and jiggle it until all the liquid pours into the jar. You may need flick your fingernail against it to get all the liquid out.
- You will need about three bracelet sized glow sticks per jar.^{[7]
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  Research source} If you are using regular glow sticks, you will only need one.
Toss the shards into the trash, and rinse the strainer out well. Don't use the strainer for cooking again. If you are wearing gloves, pull them off by the cuff. They will flip inside out as you tug down on them. Throw the gloves away too.
10
Add some glitter and other fillers. How much glitter you use will depend on how sparkly you want the jar to be. Plan on using one to two teaspoons. You can also add some other fillers, such as a piece of tulle to help suspend the glitter, or water beads to resemble planets.
- You can find the water beads in the floral department of an arts and crafts store. They are about the same size as marbles, and gel-like.
This will help mix everything together.
The glow sticks will only last for a few hours. If you want to reuse this jar, you will need to add more glow stick liquid.

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Sunlight is the best way to charge glow-in-the-dark paint because of its UV rays; however, any bright light will also work.

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Some glow-in-the-dark paint will glow green, regardless of the color it is in the daytime.

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If you are having difficulties removing the label from your jar, try soaking the jar in some hot, soapy water for a few hours. The label should slip right off. If it doesn't, try peeling it off, and then wiping the glue away with cooking oil. Wash the jar with soap and water, then wipe it down with rubbing alcohol.

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Warnings

Don't touch or swallow the glow stick liquid. If the chemical gets in your eyes or mouth, flush the area with water for 10 minutes and call your local poison control center. If chemicals get on your skin, wash the area with soap and water.

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