Video showing what bioluminescence looks like in the rain is just out of this world

We may think that deep inside the ocean, there is no light. But in actuality, certain creatures are swimming inside the ocean that carry a lot of electric light within. When these creatures who are present on the land, as well as, in the waters, are stimulated or disturbed in any way, they emit a luminous glow. Lately, footage circulating on social media has brought fresh attention to this dazzling phenomenon that, in terms of science, is called “bioluminescence,” meaning light emitted by a living organism. Most recently, the clip was posted by Reddit user u/no_emu_1332 in subreddit group.

The 6-second clip displays a scene of rain falling in an ocean. As the raindrops come in contact with the waters, the ocean ripples and bubbles with an unusually radiant neon blue sparkle, depicting a sea of glittery blue dots. As the shimmery ocean pulsates, the background in the footage is lit up with a dusky orange sky, a boat standing somewhere in the middle, and red navigation markers blinking on and off behind the boat. The soft ambient music playing in the background only adds to the soothing effect of this brilliant sighting.

The Reddit post attracted over 2,000 upvotes in just a few hours. The post caption reads: “What bioluminescence looks like In the rain.” In the comment section, people are pondering over the beauty of this noteworthy phenomenon. They are describing it with words like “firefly water,” “fairies of the sea,” “hypnotic,” and “anime scene.” According to media reports, this glittery scene was captured at Jervis Bay, a coastal area south of Sydney, where bioluminescence is a regular phenomenon.

In general, bioluminescence is one of the most stunning phenomena endowed by nature, just like auroras and meteor showers. National Geographic explains that bioluminescence is “light emitted by living organisms through chemical reactions in their bodies.” Inside the bodies of these tiny marine organisms called “planktons” are chemical catalysts. When these cells are disturbed or pricked by something like a boat or a wave or raindrop, the chemical reaction occurs, and their bodies glow, illuminating the entire lagoon or ocean with enchanting lights.

Different organisms produce bioluminescence for different reasons. For instance, a vampire squid ejects sticky bioluminescent mucus that helps it to escape predators. Brittle stars can detach their body parts to waive away predators. While the predator chases their glowing arm, the rest of their bodies crawl away. Other organisms that display this unusual characteristic are glow worms, crystal jellies, anglerfish, loosejaws, etc. These underwater creatures exhibit similar properties to those observed in fireflies above the water's surface.

The illuminated water shown in the footage is sometimes also referred to by the term "milky seas." According to BBC Earth, a milky sea is caused by billions of trillions of bioluminescent bacteria that live throughout the water column from the surface to the sea floor. This causes the effect of a galaxy appearing on the ocean's surface. Although milky seas are still a mystery and not much investigated, the satellite imagery of some milky seas has been observed in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, per National Geographic.

The viral footage was earlier shared on X by Science Girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) where it has been viewed almost 9 million times. Here too, people compared the glittering sight to a “pool of crystals,” “magical,” “a river in a galaxy,” “dopeness,” and “nature’s glitter,” among other things.