AUB Student Sends Film 121,000 Feet to Capture Cosmic Radiation Images
Updated
Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Jul 2
AUB Student Sends Film 121,000 Feet to Capture Cosmic Radiation Images
1 articles · Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · Jul 2
Summary
Tom Liggett, a third-year AUB photography student, produced what the university says is the first photographic artwork formed directly by cosmic radiation after lofting analogue film to 121,000 feet.
The HELIOS project tested whether invisible energy could mark film without a camera or lens, keeping sealed negatives in a lightproof bag so any traces came from cosmic radiation, UV-C light and other energetic particles.
In the latest launch, Liggett worked in New York State with Filmed In Space; the balloon burst above 100,000 feet and the payload landed about 50 miles away in Connecticut, where the film was recovered.
The developed negatives showed colorful abstract patterns in the emulsion, and Liggett now aims to send larger film formats deeper into space as the project expands.