system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does "glow-in-the-dark" stuff work?
gpt
Glow-in-the-dark stuff contains materials called phosphors that absorb light energy and releases it slowly over time as visible light (this is called luminescence).

Edit: To clarify a bit more scientifically: These materials absorb light energy, and when they do the electrons in that material absorb that energy and jump to a higher energy level or 'state'. Electrons do not stay in this higher state for very long, because they like to be in the lowest energy state possible. When an electron jumps down from a higher energy state to a lower energy state, THAT is when energy is RELEASED. The 'height' of the jump determines how much energy is released, which determines whether you get infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, etc. Typically this jump is done in a very short amount of time (nanoseconds). In glow-in-the-dark materials, the electrons take longer to make the jump from the higher state to the lower state, which is why you see still it giving off light in the dark.