For centuries, sailors have recounted sightings of the glowing sea resembling the Milky Way, but it is only recently that this mysterious phenomenon has been captured on camera, according to the Guardian.
“Previously, the Milky Sea was merely a tale passed down through oral tradition dating back to the earliest days of 18th-century cargo ships,” said Steven Miller, an atmospheric science professor at Colorado State University, as reported by the Guardian on July 11.
Photo taken by the crew on the Ganesha while passing through the glowing sea on the night of August 2, 2019. The dark silhouette is the yacht itself. (Photo: Steven Miller).
However, according to research published on July 11 by Miller, the crew aboard a superyacht named Ganesha used their phones and digital cameras to capture the first images of the Milky Sea while sailing near the island of Java in Indonesia in 2019.
The Milky Sea phenomenon is believed to occur when bioluminescent bacteria communicate with each other, possibly in response to changes caused by atmospheric conditions affecting ocean currents.
According to Miller’s research, during that time, satellites from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) captured bioluminescence in the waters south of Java, covering an area greater than 100,000 km2, from late July to early September 2019.
Simultaneously, the Ganesha passed through the glowing waters around 9 PM on August 2, 2019.
One crew member recounted that when he woke up at 10 PM, he noticed the water around the yacht had turned white. “There was no moon, and the sea seemed filled with plankton, but the waves at the bow of the boat were dark. It felt like the ship was gliding over snow,” he wrote.
Another crew member described the color and intensity of the glow as “similar to a glow-in-the-dark sticker.” Meanwhile, the captain noted that the light appeared to emanate from a depth of 10 meters below the surface, rather than forming a thin layer on the water’s surface.
Satellite image of the waters near Java on the night of August 2, 2019. Above is Java illuminated at night. The red circle indicates the area where the Milky Sea appeared. The white line at the bottom right shows the path of the Ganesha. (Photo: Steven Miller).
After scooping up some seawater, the crew noticed several evenly distributed bright spots in the bucket. These bright spots dimmed as the water in the bucket was stirred. This contrasts with typical bioluminescence phenomena, according to Miller.
The testimonies from the crew also serve as authentic evidence that the satellite images indeed captured the Milky Sea, paving the way for future research.
