St Mary's Cathedral is illuminated as part of a Christmas lights display in celebration of Christmas on December 19, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Farmhand Beatrice Jasiewicz (L) looks on as a colleague carries an injured goose on an open field at the Oekohof Kuhhorst organic farm near Berlin on November 24, 2011 in Kuhhorst, Germany. Goose is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

A Chimpanzee opens its Christmas presents at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on December 17, 2013 in Bedfordshire, England. (Photo by Tony Margiocchi/Barcroft Media)

Festive characters perform during Harrods 26th Annual Christmas Parade on November 5, in London, England. (Photo by Steve Finn/Harrods via Getty Images)

The Bratz Rock Angels are displayed at the Dream Toys 2005 Pre-Christmas Expo on October 5, 2005 in London. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

In this Sunday, September 18, 2016 photo, participants wait on stage ahead of Miss Trans Star International 2016 show celebrated in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

Droid BB-8 arrives at the world premiere of the film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in Hollywood, California, December 14, 2015. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

While vacationing on the Maldives Islands, Taiwanese amateur photographer Will Ho stumbled onto an incredible stretch of beach covered in millions of bioluminescent phytoplankton. These tiny organisms glow similarly to fireflies and tend to emit light when stressed, such as when waves crash or when they are otherwise agitated. While the phenomenon and its chemical mechanisms have been known for some time, biologists have only recently began to understand the reasons behind it. Photo: Bioluminescent phytoplankton washes up on Maldives beach. (Photo by Will Ho)