When Neil Buckland, an artist based in Seattle, met a geologist named Tony Irving a few years ago, he had no idea it would launch an extraterrestrial collaboration. Buckland was at the University of Washington photographing ultrathin slices of meteorite for a project Irving was working on. The cut space rocks didn’t seem particularly exciting at first. Then Buckland peered at the 30-micron-thick samples through a pair of polarizing filters. He was stunned by the vibrant collage of hues.

  • meteorite macro art photography microscope abstract
  • meteorite macro art photography microscope abstract
  • meteorite macro art photography microscope abstract

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Photograph: Neil Buckland
Found by hunters in Algeria after a fireball event in 2013, this meteorite displays the blues and greens of pyroxene, a mineral typically found in volcanic areas.