Home Made Sun and Moon Jars

I don't know if you've seen them but I love those Sun and Moon Jars. If you have not, someone took what looks like an old glass mason jar, stuck a solar powered light inside it, and put on a lid. The Sun Jars glow with a warm yellowish light while the Moon Jars provide a calm blue light. I'd love to have a couple of these around the house but the price tag ($35-$40 a pop) has kept me waiting for a yard sale find. But, now you (and even I!) can make our own Sun and Moon Jars via this great DIY article from Instructables.

Components:
1. Ikea glass jar (or other)
2. Solar garden light
3. rechargeable battery (AA size)
4. Blu-tack
5. Tracing paper

Tools:
1. screwdriver
2. Utility Knife
3. Glass Frosting spray

Step A:
Rip open the innards of the solar garden light. I know that may sound ambiguous but you'd be able to use a utility knife and surgically dissect the relevent components out (see image). Solar garden lights are easily available at your local major hardware store.

Step B:
Flip open the ikea jar and place the "solar garden light innards" as shown in the picture. Use blu-tack to keep it all together. Feel free to play around with the placements so the components would fit snuggly into the jar.

Step C:
Cut a strip of tracing paper and place it in the glass jar.
OR
Use a Glass Frosting spray .

Step D:
Close the lid of the glass jar with tender care and you're done.

Charging and Usage

1.The light sensing diode on top of the jar should cause the LED to light up once ambient light diminishes below a certain threshold.

2.Keep the jar by a window with strong sunlight to charge the rechargeable batteries via the solar panel.

3. Enjoy your home-made sun jar or give it away as a cool gift.

Comments

[diysolarlights]

I bought a homemade jar on etsy and blogged my experiences with solar light jars. It must've been bad quality since it was dim and short lasting =(

[Jamie]

gooseberrypatch.com also sells acrylic jar night lights with different themes in them if yer interested.

[angie]

Just wondering, what determines whether it will glow blue or yellow? And im a little lost on the solar light ripping, and also the instructions don't really cover what to do with the batteries?

This is all a little ambiguous really.

[Brightest Kid]

The purpose of this experiment is to...experiment! I'm not here to give answers. I'm here to provide activities and experiments you perform in order to find the answers. So sorry, but if you are really serious about finding answers to your questions, you'll do the experiment.

[someone]

i have a question could you transfer this energy of light and use it for other sources like when you capture it can you transfer it to another object like a lashlight?xD

[Brightest Kid]

Good question. I have no idea. Conduct the experiment and find out.