A glowing patch of the Indian Ocean the size of Connecticut was not known to science until 2005, even though it has been seen by sailors and even mentioned in a novel. Scientists had ignored accounts of this glowing patch because they believed it would be impossible to have bacteria at such dense concentrations over such a large area. One scientist wanted to investigate this, however, and found the record from a ship that said it crossed the milky sea in 1995. The scientist looked for satellite images taken over the area the ship described during that night, and found that a large area off Africa appeared to be glowing for three nights around that time. Scientists believe the bacteria is Vibrio harveyi, but still do not know how they survive in such a dense congregation.
It is amazing that no one ever noticed this on satellite images before!
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/milky-seas
It is amazing that no one ever noticed this on satellite images before!
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/milky-seas
Photo credit: Steven Miller