Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Bryozoa Colony

Polarized light photomicrograph a 30-µm-thick “thin section of rock. In this case a fossilized bryozoan colony in a limestone from the US. The image shows a detail of the structure of the colony and of the skeleton of bryozoa, with polygonal cavities filled with carbonate. Sample kindly provided by Denise Harrison. I like to disclose the secret beauty of small thin pieces of common or semiprecious rocks when seen with the polarizing microscope. The rock samples are from my geological research, or have been acquired/collected on purpose for aesthetic photography.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Italy
Camera: NIKON D5500
Copyright: © Bernardo Cesare