Red Trinitite, a Piece of Atomic History
Originally posted on Nature's Rainbows in 2023 by Chris Clemens. Red trinitite is technically not a true mineral, because it was not formed through a geologic process. Rather, this brick-red colored glass-like material was created at 5:29 A.M. Mountain Time on July...
The Mineralogy of Franklin and Ogdensburg, New Jersey By Vandall T. King
"The Mineralogy of Franklin and Ogdensburg, New Jersey" by Vandall T. King (Editor) et al. is a comprehensive three-volume book series represents the definitive modern compendium of the mineralogy, geology, and history of the Franklin and Sterling Hill (Ogdensburg)...
Ultraviolation 2017 Show Report
Originally posted on Nature's Rainbows in 2017 by Mike in Manassas.It was o dark thirty on a fall Saturday morning as three fluorescent mineral collectors set off from Manassas, VA for Fairless Hills, PA. Two of us (John and Pat) live in the area and will be...
How Hot Are Your Rocks? Radioactivity in Uranyl-Activated Fluorescent Minerals
Originally posted on Nature's Rainbows in 2016 by Chris Clemens. Introduction: Uranyl-activated green fluorescence is one of the most common fluorescent responses seen under UV light. It occurs in a wide variety of minerals, generally due to one of two conditions: 1.)...
Fluorescent Mineral Collecting Field Trip to the Midwest
Originally posted on Nature's Rainbows in 2018 by John Smith. In early September 2018, after it looked like my grandchildren’s parents were required to prepare for a U.S. Government shutdown on the first of October, I cancelled my plans to take the grandchildren to...
Photographing Esperite using a Magenta Filter
Esperite is one of the most difficult minerals to photograph. The bright yellow of Esperite is very close to the bright green fluorescence of Willemite. The two together general blow out the exposure on most every camera. Most of the time, the esperite tends to look...
Photographing Esperite (and other “hard rocks”)
Originally posted on Nature's Rainbows in June 2016. I have a nickname for esperite pieces – I call them “hard rocks”, very hard to photograph. Our rocks “glow” like a lightbulb. Imagine trying to take a picture of a Christmas tree. The lights end up looking...
The Photobiology of UV Damage to Skin
A frequently recurring question within the Fluorescent Mineral Facebook Group is how UV affects the skin and eyes. At the annual NERF meeting In Nov 2013 an excellent talk and discussion on this topic was presented and documented by Howie Green. Below is a copy of...
Fluorescent Mineral Photography Studio
This article was originally published on Nature’s Rainbow in 2022. While visiting my granddaughter in Florida I had time to revamp my daughter's UV light box. The old one was too small for the large specimens she's been photographing lately, and the lighting was...
Lighting Controls: Automatically Cycle Longwave, Shortwave, Midwave, and White light in your Display
This article was originally published on Nature’s Rainbow. Over the years I've had requests for lighting controllers that would allow us to remotely control our different wavelength lights, as well as cycle through the lighting automatically, turning them on/off at a...