Precarious
Well-known member
As unbelievable as it may seem, space photos just got a bit more amazing.
Normally, the celestial sights we gaze at -- such as ribbons of colorful gas and dust, wound around monstrous, dark caverns or splashed in front of star-studded skies -- are flat. Two dimensional.
Now, Finnish astrophotographer J-P Metsavainio has rendered some spacescapes in three dimensions, using his own photographs as a starting point. "Objects in the images are not like paintings on the canvas, but really three-dimensional objects floating in the three-dimensional space," he said in an e-mail.
First, Metsavainio collects information about how far away an object is, and carefully studies the stars and structures in and around it. Then, he creates a volumetric model of his subject -- usually a nebula, although he's rendered at least one globular star cluster. Finally, he animates the 3-D rendering, providing viewers with a tantalizing taste of what it might be like to fly a starship through these enormous astronomical ornaments.
"How accurate the final model is, depends how much I have known and guessed right," Metsavainio said. Many of his renderings carry the statement: "NOTE: This is a personal vision about shapes and volumes, based on some scientific data and an artistic impression."
For more fanciful journeys, check out Metsavainio's entire portfolio.
Normally, the celestial sights we gaze at -- such as ribbons of colorful gas and dust, wound around monstrous, dark caverns or splashed in front of star-studded skies -- are flat. Two dimensional.
Now, Finnish astrophotographer J-P Metsavainio has rendered some spacescapes in three dimensions, using his own photographs as a starting point. "Objects in the images are not like paintings on the canvas, but really three-dimensional objects floating in the three-dimensional space," he said in an e-mail.
First, Metsavainio collects information about how far away an object is, and carefully studies the stars and structures in and around it. Then, he creates a volumetric model of his subject -- usually a nebula, although he's rendered at least one globular star cluster. Finally, he animates the 3-D rendering, providing viewers with a tantalizing taste of what it might be like to fly a starship through these enormous astronomical ornaments.
"How accurate the final model is, depends how much I have known and guessed right," Metsavainio said. Many of his renderings carry the statement: "NOTE: This is a personal vision about shapes and volumes, based on some scientific data and an artistic impression."
For more fanciful journeys, check out Metsavainio's entire portfolio.
