In 2006, David Liittschwager took an incredible photograph for National Geographic. The image has recently gone viral under the incorrect assertion that it is, ‘a single drop of seawater magnified 25 times‘. Littschwager clarified with PetaPixel that the image was in fact:

“Marine Microfauna was part of the contents of one dip of a hand net. The magnification was 2x life size, meaning that the actual frame size was a half-inch high, so depending on how big the image is on your screen you can calculate the magnification as you see it.”

 

The image is no less remarkable and according to National Geographic: the planktonic soup includes bug-like copepods; long, glassy arrowworms; coiled filaments of cyanobacteria; rectangular algae called diatoms; fish eggs; and a big-eyed larval crab the size of a rice grain. You can see the entire gallery on National Geographic here.

You can also read the feature article here. Prints are available via art.com

[via PetaPixel]