Friday, September 09, 2011

The Real Saturn

And now for something totally cool.

5.6k Saturn Cassini Photographic Animation from stephen v2 on Vimeo.



From Tecca:

Animated from hundreds of thousands of still photographs from NASA's Cassini orbiter, the above video isn't actually a NASA project. Instead, it's a preview of a full-length IMAX film dubbed Outside In: a non-profit project funded by a number of individual supporters.

The most striking thing to note about the breathtaking visual fly-by of Saturn seen above is that the footage isn't computer-generated or enhanced with CGI or 3D effects. What you see are a huge number of high-resolution still images animated in sequence to create full motion using a "2.75D" photographic fly-through technology. Filmmaker Stephen Van Vuuren is aiming for a limited IMAX release for the feature-length movie, to be accompanied by a synchronized light show in planetarium, museum, and gallery locations to be announced.

Be sure and hit widescreen. And check out this awesome photo from NASA that shows a full Saturn and the Cassini view of the rings illuminated from behind. It's a must see.