Description

Gallium selenide and selenium gas deposits on quartz are reminiscent of a planet’s surface. A lucky speck of dust makes a pink crescent moon above the alien landscape. Despite their chaotic beauty, gallium selenide and selenium are quite toxic, like the environments of the planets they resemble.

These deposits are a byproduct of a chemical reaction at high temperatures enclosed in a quartz tube. Giant temperature changes inherent to the heat source, a microwave blasting carbon and metal powders, cause the gallium selenide and selenium to vaporize then solidify in cooler areas. This image was captured under an optical microscope at 40x magnification.