Maldives Beach Looks Like Starry Night Sky
Bioluminescent Phytoplankton, (Lingulodinium polyedrum)
This glistening beach is not part of a magical Disney or Pixar sequence – it’s actually a perfectly natural occurrence. These glistening dots of light are caused by these microscopic organisms.
These plankton are part of a red tide, which is when the population of phytoplankton like these explodes in a certain location, coloring the water a dull orange-red.
At night, however, the red waters take on a completely different hue. These organisms react to changes in water tension and to acidity by giving off light, so every wave break and paddle causes them to give off light.
By Taiwanese Photographer William Ho
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