How a Combat Photographer Named a Phenomenon to Honor Soldiers

While embedded with troops in Afghanistan in the late 2000s, war photographer and writer Michael Yon captured numerous photos of the sparkling halo that can appear when a helicopter’s rotors hit sand and dust. Upon finding that the particular phenomenon didn’t have a name, Yon gave it one that honors two fallen soldiers: the Kopp-Etchells Effect.

The name “Kopp-Etchells Effect” is now widely used when referring to dazzling helicopter halos, which commonly appear when powerful military helicopters take off or land in sandy environments.

http://petapixel.com/2016/09/29/combat-photographer-named-phenomenon-honor-soldiers/