Massive NASA Photos Of Earth, Mars And Beyond Transformed Into An Epic ‘3D’ IMAX Movie

Be it shots of distant nebulae, or self-portraits from Mars, NASA has taken a lot of photographs over the years. We’ve enjoyed them in still form, but wouldn’t they look even better as moving pictures?

The video here is a trailer for “In Saturn’s Rings”, due out for IMAX cinemas in the first half of next year. It’s created entirely using 2D photos from NASA — over one million, apparently — and a combination of specially-created zooming “techniques” to give the appearance of 3D (or 2.5D, according to the film makers).

The creators are also quite adamant the photos have only been processed “minimally” and no CGI, texture mapping or other visual effects have been used to create the pseudo-3D effect. As you can see in the clip, it’s certainly an interesting effect… and about the best way to experience the wonders of the universe without donning a space suit and man-portable hyperdrive.

You’ll need an IMAX screen to full appreciate the huge resolution of the images, but if you have a 4K display handy (who doesn’t?), the YouTube video can be view at its original resolution.

[YouTube, via Laughing Squid]