Stephanie Meyer's Vampires Aren't Just Sparkly, They're Scientifically Sound
A Redditor gave a scientific explanation for the sparkly skin of vampires from the Twilight Saga, says they just need to wear sunscreen.
Stephanie Meyer's Twilight presented a new interpretation of vampires to the world. Unlike traditional vampire portrayals, Meyer's vampires do not need to drink human blood to survive, are extraordinarily beautiful and hard like glass.
They aren't afraid of garlic, silver, or wooden stakes, and don't have fangs but have super speed and other extra powers. Their most memorable feature is without a doubt the ability to sparkle in the sun rather than burn.
With this romanticized view of evil mythological beings, the Twilight Saga has had a significant impact on how vampires are depicted in popular culture today.
Sparkling skin feels the most unrealistic of all these unusual features. But it might actually have a perfectly plausible scientific explanation. Redditor u/Iustinianus_I provided their version of what the reason for sparkling vampire skin in the Twilight Saga could be, and it is a scientifically sound fan theory.
The Redditor explained that the sparkling effect seen in the skin of vampires from the Twilight Saga is most likely caused by a material within their skin that converts a specific invisible element present in sunlight into the visible spectrum.
This material only activates in direct sunlight and is easily blocked by objects such as umbrellas or thick clouds.
But what element of sunlight could that be?
According to the Redditor, it must be a specific form of electromagnetic radiation. Out of all forms of EM radiation, radio waves, microwaves, and ultraviolet radiation are the most likely variants since they are usually invisible to the human eye.
Out of these three, the rays most likely responsible for the sparkly skin effect is UV radiation. This is because UV radiation is closer in the electromagnetic spectrum to visible light than microwaves, and is more easily blocked by objects such as cloud cover, buildings, and polarized glass than radio waves.
This explanation means the sparkling vampire skin in the Twilight Saga is not based on magic but on physics.
UV rays can be blocked by sunscreen, which means Twilight vampires do not need to avoid sunlight, but rather use sunscreen to prevent sparkling. The Redditor also suggested that vampire raves with blacklights would be a fun and spectacular concept, as all the vampires would glow under ultraviolet light.