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A polarized light micrograph of physiological saline crystals
2026-01-21
- Classification
- Photograph
- Museum
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- CC BY 4.0, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
About this work
A micrograph displaying the crystal structures formed from the evaporation of physiological saline (0.9% sodium chloride solution). The liquid was allowed to slowly crystallize, resulting in a colorful, sweeping, and detailed landscape viewed under the microscope. The image was captured using polarized light, which highlights the birefringence of the crystals and creates vivid interference colors (deep blues, greens, and yellows) dependent on the thickness and orientation of the crystal layers. The photo was taken using an 8x objective and the focus stacking technique to ensure sharpness across the complex structures.
