@sciencefunn: Captured by physicist David Nadlinger, this award-winning photograph shows a single positively charged strontium atom—an ion—held nearly motionless between two electrodes by electric fields. Illuminated by blue-violet laser light, the ion absorbs and re-emits photons, appearing as the tiny glowing point at the centre of the image. A 30-second exposure allowed an ordinary camera to capture its faint fluorescence. The photograph brings the atomic world into human scale: a single ion, suspended in an ultra-high-vacuum trap, visible through the light it emits. Credit: David Nadlinger / University of Oxford Interested in more science facts & science news? Then @sciencefunn is the right profile for you. Follow us for more science and daily facts. 🤓

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Tuesday 18 August 2026 12:04:23 GMT