Bottle rockets are small fireworks that quickly soar high into the sky before exploding. They are often launched from bottles and use black energy or similar explosives. Safety concerns have led to bans in many areas, and they should only be launched from a specially designed launcher by sober individuals over the age of 14.
Bottle rockets are fireworks designed to have low but formidable power. They’re a type of celestial rocket, which means they’ll quickly soar high into the sky before exploding. The “bottle” in their name probably comes from the tradition of deploying bottle rockets from bottles, allowing the person firing them to go out of range after lighting the fuse. The term is also used to describe water rockets, rockets that use old soda bottles as a body and water for propulsion.
A bottle rocket is about half the size of a regular firework and much smaller than commercial rockets. At one point, they were widely sold in fireworks supply stores, because they are small and relatively easy, though not always safe, to use. Growing concerns about their safety have led to bottle rockets being banned in many areas, making them very difficult to obtain in some regions.
The core of a bottle rocket is a tube filled with black energy or a similar explosive. When triggered, the explosion propels the bottle rocket into the air, often triggering further bursts of starbursts, trails, or streamers of colorful fireworks. Many bottle rocket makers also design them with whistles that will screech as they climb through the air, or explosives that will make a concussive bang when they explode. The explosive part of a bottle rocket is attached to a long stick that is supposed to be mounted in a stone thrower, but is more often stuck in the ground or reinforced in a bottle.
Like any explosive, a bottle rocket can be dangerous, despite its deceptively small size. Bottle rockets should be launched from a specially designed launcher, rather than from a bottle or from the ground. Persons firing bottle rockets should ideally be sober and over the age of 14, and a large bucket of water should be kept nearby for emergencies. Bottle rockets should never be fired near houses, and if the season is dry, the earth should be moistened with water before firing the rockets.
When lighting bottle rockets, tools designed for starting fireworks should be used, and everyone should stay clear of the area. Make sure the bottled rocket is facing away from anyone, and if it spits or malfunctions, immerse it in water and discard it. Do not handle or attempt to relight a firework that has malfunctioned; most injuries caused by fireworks result from this activity. If you’re lucky, you can escape with burns, but the loss of digits or an entire hand is possible.
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