There are several varieties of luminescence, each named according to what the source of energy is, or what the trigger for the luminescence is. Bleaches enhance their whitening power with a white fluorescent material. Photoluminescence should not be confused with reflection, refraction, or scattering of light, which cause most of the colors you see in daylight or bright artificial lighting. Photoluminescence is distinguished in that the light is absorbed for a significant time, and generally produces light of a frequency that is lower than, but otherwise independent of, the frequency of the absorbed light. Chemiluminescence is luminescence where the energy is supplied by chemical reactions.
Fireflies glow by bioluminescence.
Electroluminescence is luminescence caused by electric current. Other examples of electroluminescence are neon lights, the auroras, and lightning flashes. This should not be mistaken for what occurs with the ordinary incandescent electric lights, in which the electricity is used to produce heat, and it is the heat that in turn produces light. Radioluminescence is luminescence caused by nuclear radiation. The term may be used to refer to luminescence caused by X-rays, also called photoluminescence.