Explosion of Color

Crystals of magnesium sulfate dissolving and crystalizing in solution, photographed using compensated polarization microscopy.[Winner Ireland Wiki Science Competition 2025; CC-BY-4.0]

—Karl Gaff, Art of Science Photography, Dublin, Ireland

18 Sep 2026

Psyche Approaches Mars

This composite photo shows the crescent of Mars grow as NASA’s Psyche spacecraft approached the planet for a gravity assist from 2 to 15 May 2026. Because Psyche approached Mars from a high phase angle, the planet appeared as a thin crescent in the days running up to the close approach, lit by sunlight reflecting off its surface. https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/psyche-approaches-mars/    

—NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

11 Sep 2026

The Corona

Image of a corona formed behind the Dreifaltigkeits-Pestsäule in Graz, Austria.  

— Andrea Aiello, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen, Germany

04 Sep 2026

Painting the Rainbow

Bright structural colors emerge from nanoscale metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) Fabry-Pérot cavities fabricated by sputtering. Variations in the cavity thickness tune the optical interference conditions, painting the surface with a rainbow of structural colors.    

—Souvik Ghosh, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India

28 Aug 2026

Atomic Layer Precision

Thin films of oxides are deposited with atomic layer precision using pulsed laser deposition. A high-intensity pulsed laser is shooting onto the rotating white target of Al2O3 (alumina). The laser pulse creates a plasma explosion visible as the purple cloud. The plasma cloud expands toward the square substrate, consisting of SrTiO3 , where it deposits thin layers of alumina. This results in a conducting interface between the two materials. The substrate is mounted on a heating plate, glowing red from a temperature of 650ºC, to improve the crystallinity of the alumina thin film.[Bangladesh Wiki Science Competition 2025; CC-BY-4.0]    

—Adam Andersen Læssøe, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Denmark

21 Aug 2026

Aurora Australis 

The aurora australis arcs over Earth during an active solar event in this photograph taken on 5 June 2026, from the International Space Station as it orbited 271 miles above the Indian Ocean southwest of Perth, Australia. Source: nasa.gov/image-article/aurora-australis-7/

—NASA / Jessica Meir 

14 Aug 2026

Inverted Illumination

This image presents a flower in its negative form. By inverting the light values, the petals transform into glowing forms, highlighting subtle textures and gradients that often remain unnoticed. [OPN 2025 Photo Contest]    

—Sritam Sethy Kumar, M. Pharm Student, Balasore, Odisha, India

07 Aug 2026

The Sun's Frozen Crown  

 A luminous ring encircles the sun above Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico—a celestial crown suspended in the midday sky. The 22° solar halo forms when sunlight passes through hexagonal ice crystals in high-altitude cirrostratus clouds.     

—Dante Iván Delgadillo-Licona, Universidad Tecnológica de Tulancingo, Tulancingo, Mexico

31 Jul 2026

Crystal Landscape

Crystal structures formed from a mixture of beta-alanine and Coca Cola create a colorful, abstract landscape when viewed under a microscope using polarized light.    

—Janeklass, Estonia Wiki Science Competition 2025; CC-BY-4.0

24 Jul 2026