Wednesday, October 3, 2012
An experimental 3D-animation from my image of IC 1396
I have tested a new method to publish my 3D-images as a form of Lenticular prints.
For this technique to work, I need series of images from different angles, in this case 24 images are needed.
Lenticular printing is actually an old technique but in past few years it has become much more sophisticated.
The results can be stunning visually, image plane disappears and object floats in and outside of the frame.
Since astronomical objects are too far away, no real parallax can be imaged. Doe to that, I have developed a method to turn my images to various 3D-formats. My work flow is based on scientific data from the object, distance and the source of ionization are usually known. The different types of the nebulae has typical structures, pillar like formations must point to the source of ionization, the radiation pressure forms kind of hollow area, inside of the nebula, around newly born stars, dark nebulae must be at front of the emission ones to show, etc... rest of the missing information is then replaced with an artistic vision.
The whole process is pretty much like sculpting!
An image set of IC 1396, used for a lenticular print, as an animation.
(More of my experimental 3D-images under a folder "Volumetric 3D images" in my Portfolio http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/ )
(More of my experimental 3D-images under a folder "Volumetric 3D images" in my Portfolio http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/ )
Please, wait for few moments for animation to load, the size is ~7MB
The animation shows, IC 1396, a largish ionization zone in Cepheus.
AN UPDATE
AN UPDATE
08.01.2013
The astronomer Phil Plait collected an annual list of the best astronomical images for the year 2012.
This experimental image of IC 1396 was selected as one of them.
The Best Astronomy Images of 2012
by an astronomer Phil Plait
THE LIST
My image is a sixth from the top.
The astronomer Phil Plait collected an annual list of the best astronomical images for the year 2012.
This experimental image of IC 1396 was selected as one of them.
The Best Astronomy Images of 2012
by an astronomer Phil Plait
THE LIST
My image is a sixth from the top.
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2011/10/ic-1396-home-of-elephants-trunk-nebula.html
Buy a photographic print from HERE
Here is an image series showing the apparent scale of the IC 1396 in the sky:
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2011/07/ic-1396-scale-in-sky-zoom-in-series-in.html
All of my images can be seen in my portfolio:
http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/
(More of my experimental 3D-images under a folder "Volumetric 3D images")
I turned the original 2D-image to 3D by using a surface modeling software (TrueSpace).
Image is first divided to layers by its content, each layer is then projected to a 3D-surface.
To have good and realistic forms, I did use an other software, Bmp2CNC, it converts the shades in the image to a 3D-form. I have semi automated the whole process, it'll takes about 20 min. to make a 3D model like in this example is used.
A screen shot from the TrueSpace modeling software.
This kind of model gives much more freedoms to animate, than is used in this example.
A series of 24 images, with about one degree increments, are needed for the lenticular 3D print.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
An experimental animation of IC 1340
In this experimental animation the nebula, IC 1340, can be seen with and without stars.
Sometimes it's easier to see complex shapes of nebula without stars, specially if it locates in a very dense star field. Human brains has an ability to create some quasi-logical shapes out of the random cloud of dots, like stars, and it can interferes the underlying shapes to be seen clearly.
Original image and imaging data can be seen in this blog post:
http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2012/09/ic-1340-project-as-bi-color-from.html
Sunday, September 30, 2012
An electric Nike, IC 1340 in Eastern Veil Nebula
IC 1340, an electric Nike of Samothrace
This is a second version of this photograph. It looks like an electric version of the Nike statue!
Statue of the Nike
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winged_Victory_of_Samothrace
IC 1340
http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2012/09/ic-1340-project-as-bi-color-from.html
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Two panel mosaic from the Butterfly to Crescent Nebula
Butterfly and Crescent Nebulae in constellation Cygnus
Image is in mapped colors, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
The colorful "noise" at background is not a noise but countless number of stars!
This is a part of the much large, 18-panels, mosaic of constellation Cygnus, it can be seen HERE.
Image is shot at Autumn 2011, I'm publishing this here, since I have reprocessed the color data.
Image is shot with Canon EF 200mm f1.8 optics, full open, QHY9 cooled astronomical camera and the Baader narrowband filter set. (H-a. O-III and S-II) Esposure times, about two hours per channel, total six hours.
Shooting with f1.8 optics is kind of extreme, the critical focus zone is only 7 microns (7/1000mm).
Focusing and staying in focus is really difficult at that speed, one quarter of the degrees temperature drop is enough to destroy focus. I have build a temperature compensating automatic focusing system for camera lenses. ( http://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2008/09/new-equipmets-and-some-development-work.html )
A closeup image of the Crescent Nebula,
it can be seen at center of the image above
Image is in HST-palette, (HST=Hubble Space Telescope)
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Star colors are mixed from the NB channels, Red=H-a, G=O-III and B= 85%O-III + 15%H-a.
This image was selected as an APOD, Astronomy Image Of the Day, by the NASA.
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