This is not a screensaver. Nor is it what happens if something goes wrong at the LHC, or the result of too much LSD. In fact, it’s what happens if you have an over-active imagination and go out light paining with a remote control helicopter.
Destin, from Smarter Every Day, recently took one of his RC helicopters out at night. Loaded with colored lights, it did a good job of lighting up the sky—but taking long-exposures resulted in some crazy images, just like this one.
In an accompanying video, Destin explains how the exact shapes of the light streaks come to be—which includes some fun physics. No, honestly. [Smarter Every Day]
