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Third Place Contrived

Nebula: A Chaotic Lightshow

In this photo, we witness a mesmerizing display of light traced by the trajectory of a physical pendulum, comprised of an asymmetrically weighted bob and two side-mounted LEDs, captured through a deliberate setup and long-exposure photography.
The pendulum bob’s unusual trajectory results from its uneven weight distribution, causing it to exhibit a combination of both rotational and oscillatory motion (as illustrated by the path traced by the light). This results in the intricate circular patterns that we see in the photo; the larger, outer spiral results from the rotation of the bob about the pivot, and the smaller, inner spirals result from the rotation of the bob itself and the subsequent rotations of the attached LEDs.
This photograph was taken in a darkened room using long-exposure settings on a tripod-mounted camera and was focused on the resting point of the pendulum to capture its full trajectory and path.
While not strictly chaotic in all aspects related to Chaos Theory, the motion captured in this image still showcases the beauty of complex dynamics; the spiraling motions the bob exhibits are arguably deterministic, yet still unpredictable.
Through this image, we can witness unpredictable yet captivating patterns from relatively simple apparatus, inviting others to revel in the - quite literal - luminescence of the domain of physics.