Twinkling colored lights of ? (magnetic viewing film)
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Twinkling colored lights of ? (magnetic viewing film)
Merry Christmas! Thought I'd contribute a bit of puzzle here.
The image is animated, 6 different frames, but I saw very much the same thing in real time.
Here's a closer view, short focus stack of 7 frames at 20X on sensor, 10 micron step.
Any guesses about what this is?
--Rik
Edit: title
The image is animated, 6 different frames, but I saw very much the same thing in real time.
Here's a closer view, short focus stack of 7 frames at 20X on sensor, 10 micron step.
Any guesses about what this is?
--Rik
Edit: title
Last edited by rjlittlefield on Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Definitely aliens and UFOs involved! I figure that the skin of the alien does this sort of thing, but I'm surprised it let you photograph it under a microscope!!
The Pacific Northwest must have a lot of aliens, etc...
(insert friendly grins here)
----------------
I read somewhere that a significant fraction of the US population believes that they have been abducted by aliens at some time in their lives. Here is a Wikipedia entry on the subject:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_abduction_claimants
The Pacific Northwest must have a lot of aliens, etc...
(insert friendly grins here)
----------------
I read somewhere that a significant fraction of the US population believes that they have been abducted by aliens at some time in their lives. Here is a Wikipedia entry on the subject:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_abduction_claimants
-Phil
"Diffraction never sleeps"
"Diffraction never sleeps"
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Indeed the Pacific Northwest has many aliens --- and I have photographed several kinds under microscopes! (Noctua pronuba and Taraxacum officinale come to mind. )Definitely aliens and UFOs involved! I figure that the skin of the alien does this sort of thing, but I'm surprised it let you photograph it under a microscope!!
The Pacific Northwest must have a lot of aliens, etc...
But this is not an alien.
More clues...
The festive appearance comes from colored lights. In ordinary white illumination, the subject appears in various shades of green, like this:
I'm sure the idea of moving lights will come to mind. But to stave off that one, I'll also volunteer that the lights were fixed in place and brightness, and the subject was firmly clamped to the microscope stage, which likewise did not move.
How can this be??
--Rik
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This second shot looks like lichen or a mixed lichen/algae community on tree bark. Not sure how that correlates with the high power image though. I seem to see small refractile globules suspended at different levels in some kind of matrix there.
Leitz Ortholux 1, Zeiss standard, Nikon Diaphot inverted, Canon photographic gear
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The material is somewhat flexible, but certainly not supple.
There are no liquid crystals or electronic ink involved here.
However, like some liquid crystals and e-ink, this material does change its appearance based on sensing its environment. This feature has applications in science, engineering, and entertainment.
As seen by the naked eye, the material often displays one or another distinctive pattern of blotches or stripes. Here are some common examples:
Here is a slightly closer view, such as you might see with a magnifying glass.
Prompting any ideas yet?
--Rik
There are no liquid crystals or electronic ink involved here.
However, like some liquid crystals and e-ink, this material does change its appearance based on sensing its environment. This feature has applications in science, engineering, and entertainment.
As seen by the naked eye, the material often displays one or another distinctive pattern of blotches or stripes. Here are some common examples:
Here is a slightly closer view, such as you might see with a magnifying glass.
Prompting any ideas yet?
--Rik
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