A beach in Melbourne, Australia has been bathed in a “ethereal glow” at nighttime this week thanks to bioluminescent algae adding a shimmering, electric blue hue to the water and sand .

Richard Pensak first saw the algae — called Nocticula scintillan and sometimes referred to as “sea sparkle” — on Sunday morning at St. Kilda Beach, about 4 miles from the center of Melbourne, a city in southeastern Australia.

By day, the algae bloom appears as a bright pinkish-orange cloud, said Pensak, a marine ecologist and a coordinator at Earthcare St Kilda, a local environmental group. It’s at night when it transforms into a “stunning light display” lending the beach a “magical, ethereal glow,” he told CNN.

There are reports the algae has spread along the north-western coast of Melbourne, Pensak

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