For polarized light microscopy, samples must be thin and transparent enough for light to
pass through. Drops of alcoholic beverages, like the Campari seen here, dry to thicknesses of a few hundred microns. Rocks prepared for this technique are often sliced as thin as 30 microns, around half the thickness of a human hair.
Credit: Bernardo Cesare, micROCKScopica
The images look like the feathers of some exotic bird, or perhaps close-ups of brilliantly cut gems. But what are they, really?
Italian cocktails.
A new series of photographs taken using microscopy highlights the beauty in boozy beverages with just a trick of the light. The images are created (without Photoshop) by Italian geologist Bernardo Cesare, who has long used light microscopes and polarizing filters to study the mineral structures in rocks. [See Amazing Microscopic Photos of Italian Cocktails] https://www.livescience.com/55929-colorful-microphotos-of-italian-cocktails.html
