{"id":982506,"date":"2026-05-24T21:02:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/982506\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T21:02:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:02:28","slug":"student-captures-cosmic-radiation-on-film-by-sending-negative-to-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/982506\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Captures Cosmic Radiation on Film by Sending Negative to Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AbstractHELIOS II by Tom Liggett. Most of the colors captured here were caused by cosmic radiation that came from the distant Universe. The yellow bloom at the top, however, was caused by a tree that pierced the bag during the descent. <\/p>\n

A photography student sent a 5\u00d74 color negative into space on April 19 and exposed it to cosmic radiation, capturing a beautiful, abstract portrait of space unlike anything done before. <\/p>\n

Tom Liggett is a third-year BA (Hons) photography student at the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) in the U.K. His groundbreaking project, HELIOS, saw him travel to New York state where he sent a series of weather balloons with negatives attached to them to altitudes of over 121,000 feet \u2014 about three times higher than commercial aircraft and far above the protective layers of Earth\u2019s atmosphere. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Liggett wanted to see how analog film would capture the invisible energy of the Universe. There was no camera or lens, just a piece of film duct-taped inside a plastic bag. <\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that various kinds of radiation exist in the atmosphere, I wondered if I could send a negative into space to capture cosmic radiation directly onto the surface of the film,\u201d Liggett says. <\/p>\n

The curious student partnered with Filmed in Space, an outfit that specializes in sending objects into the stratosphere for photo and video purposes. He sent the 5\u00d74 film \u2014 more typically found in a large-format camera \u2014 up into space sealed in a dark bag to ensure that the film emulsion was only exposed to UV-C rays, muons, and high-energy particles. <\/p>\n

\"AThe rig high above the Earth\u2019s surface. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Liggett says his expectations were low: \u201cAll I wanted was a speck of dust or something,\u201d he says. But what he got instead was a colorful kaleidoscope image with ghostly patterns and textures caused by energies from far off in the Universe. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe duration of the flight is as critical as the altitude itself,\u201d Liggett explains on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cAs the balloon ascended, the film was continuously exposed, not through a lens, but through direct interaction with altitude, radiation, and atmospheric thinning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt just over 100,000 feet, the balloon burst, a rare and unpredictable moment, before the payload began its descent,\u201d he continues. \u201cAt this height, the emulsion is subjected to extreme levels of cosmic radiation and high-energy particles, recording not an image, but an accumulation of encounters over time.\u201d <\/p>\n

Liggett tells the BBC<\/a> that he has deduced that a chunk of the image was caused by UVC radiation, which exists above the ozone layer. The rest of it consists of \u201ccosmic radiation and muons from black holes, billions of light-years away\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it was a completely blank image with a tiny alteration in the film, I would have been happy,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut to get these celestial abstract results, which are forged from black holes and the sun\u2019s radiation\u2026 I was very shocked, but really happy. I\u2019ve turned a dream into a reality and it feels surreal!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TwoRecovering the payload. <\/p>\n

The payload with the exposed film landed 50 miles away from the launch site. Not only that, but it landed on someone\u2019s private property in Connecticut, meaning the team had to ask permission from the landowner to search for it. While it landed on the ground, the bag was pierced by a tree on the way down, which caused the \u201cviolent yellow bloom\u201d at the top of the frame, but it really does add to the image. <\/p>\n

Liggett developed the negative in the AUB lab and tells the BBC, \u201cI actually think it\u2019s a more accurate representation of space than a photograph is\u2026 It\u2019s capturing the actual molecular formula of space.\u201d<\/p>\n

More of Liggett\u2019s space photographic experiments can be found on his Instagram<\/a> and website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Image credits:<\/strong> Tom Liggett<\/p>\n