Gray cast iron is beautiful. Don’t agree with us? Take a look at an image by McMaster University research technologist Doug Culley. Culley used a Nikon Eclipse LV 100 microscope to show students the microstructure of gray cast iron and teach them how to identify the pearlite structure orientation and the color contrast for the different grains.

The resulting image was so unique and artistic, Culley submitted it to Nikon’s 2009 Small World Photomicrography Competition and earned image of distinction honors.

You can view the microstructure sample here.