Star Trails and Cellular X-Rays Usher in the Year of Light

The science of light has a bright future: 2015 is the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL), a celebration launched by the UN General Assembly to appreciate and investigate the miracles and mysteries of light. To celebrate IYL, NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Center instituted an open-sourced international exhibition of light-based science in all its forms, from the study of invisible radio waves to the research behind the sun’s rays. With the curation of crowd-sourced images underway, Light: Beyond the Bulb will exhibit in locations all over the world.

In April of last year, Chandra called for photograph submissions that “illustrated different aspects/phenomena of light in nature, such as lensing, reflection, refraction, atomic collisions, shadows, etc” as well as examples that showed light’s role in biological processes. Through expert curation, images were chosen for their quality and reproducibility. Their selections so far, including a psychedelic ultraviolet sun, a happy cow at the end of the rainbow, and neon loops of fiber optics, weave the story of light from the microscopic to the cosmic. Submissions are being accepted until June 30. 

Marvel at the varied ways we interact with light showcased in these photos from Light: Beyond the Bulb:

Vorticella by Frank Fox

Welcome to the Grid Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. by NASA/Johnson Space Center

Earth Lights From ISS
by NASA/JSC

Mouse Retina by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Lightbulbs in X-Ray Light by Dr. Paula Fontaine

Geminid Meteor by Wally Pacholka

Stardust by Michael Shainblum

Earth (Day & Night) Courtesy of Data-AVHRR, NDVI, Seawifs, MODIS, NCEP, DMSP and Sky2000 star catalog; AVHRR and Seawifs texture-Reto Stockli; Visualization-Marit Jentoft-Nils

NGC 602 Courtesy of NASA/CXC/Univ. Potsdam/L. Oskinova et al.; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Find out more about Chandra’s illuminating exhibition on the project’s website and check out some of the center’s own stunning efforts in light photography here.

Related links: 100 Million Stars Shine in Hubble Telescope’s Largest Image Ever

Hubble’s Famous Eagle Nebula Photo Gets a High Definition Makeover

Photographer Captures the Many Faces of the Moon in 2014