MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — An astrophotographer was able to capture beautiful pictures of the waters surrounding Anna Maria Island in Manatee County illuminating a bluish hue.
The photos were taken Saturday night at Bean Point when Tammy Fryer went out with her partner to get photos of the Milky Way – something they reportedly do whenever the moon isn't in the night sky.
Little did they know the Milky Way wasn't the only thing they were going to capture that night – they found the bioluminescence happening. The photos show the unmissable streak of blueish hue illuminating in the water right off the shore.
"We had heard that a few people had seen it a few nights before, but we really weren't expecting to see it ourselves, so it was a nice surprise," Fryer told 10 Tampa Bay. "It was a truly spectacular thing to observe."
Photos: Bioluminescence seen in waters off Anna Maria Island
But what exactly is bioluminescent and how does it happen in the water?
According to the National Ocean Service, the light seen coming from a bioluminescent organism is made by energy being released from chemical reactions happening inside the organism.
"If you’ve ever seen a firefly, you have encountered a bioluminescent organism," leaders with the government agency explain online. "In the ocean, bioluminescence is not as rare as you might think.
"In fact, most types of animals, from bacteria to sharks, include some bioluminescent members."
The bioluminescence is typically used to warn predators, to lure or find prey and to be able to communicate between members of the same species.
