I rephrase what Luos asked:
How to make things glow without turning them white.
In real world glow is caused by several reasons:
- Diffusion on particles (dust, fog, air)
- Diffraction on the fringe of the object
- Aberrations in the optical system
Best example is Blue LED.
Human Eye could perceive blueish color by almost whole retina surface (rods ere cyan/blue sensitive, yet see it colorless).
If You look on one, You may see it’s not white (if it’s not super bright), yet it has halo. Effect better seen by peripheral vision (look slightly aside).