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The day has come when the American night sky will sparkle in thousands of color splashes, swirls, and fountains to celebrate the biggest firework feast in the USA – Independence Day. However, as common as 4th of July fireworks are, few of us actually know how fireworks work and what’s going on inside of them. This is what Seattle-based photographer Andrew Waits set out to show us in his quite educational but nonetheless gorgeous, creative photography series of the firecrackers’ content.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “how are fireworks made?” then hopefully this gallery will give you an insight. The mysterious black background in his “Boom City” series lays the chemistry of fireworks bare and lets the colors and textures of the mixtures inside stand out beautifully. In these cross section photos, Waits shows us a group of the most popular firecrackers split down in the middle, revealing vividly colorful powders, tubes and conductors inside fireworks that look quite innocent, resembling more of sweets and candies than something that could explode only from a single spark.

More info: Instagram (h/t: thisisnthappiness)

Inside Flare – Orange Ammo Smoke

Ground Bloom Flower Firework

Flying Color Butterflies Rocket

Inside Firecracker

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Pop Pop Cracker

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Moon Travelers Bottle Rocket

World Class Clay Color Smoke Balls

Blue Thunder Roman Candle

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Lightning Flash Firecracker Inside