Very Starry Night

Thursday, 12 May 2011 | by Pat's Picks

When you lean back to check out the night sky, you’re only getting part of the picture. What would it take to get the whole picture? It would take six cameras, lugged over 60,000 miles to shoot 37,440 photos that would then be digitally stitched together to create a “360-degree view of the Milky Way, planets and stars in their true natural colors.” And that’s exactly what 28-year-old Nick Risinger spent the last year doing. I read about his project, which is called skysurvey.org and went live a few weeks ago, in the paper this morning.

You can then zoom in on parts of the larger 5,000-megapixel photo to locate specific constellations. There’s even an interactive feature that outlines the constellations and links to more information about them.

The Seattle native says his project allows for much more detailed viewing: “On a good night in Seattle, you’ll see 20 or 30 stars. This, in its full size, you’ll see 20 to 30 million. Everything is amplified.”  Risinger, who is an amateur astronomer, details the equipment and specs he used to create his project so, on the off chance you have a year to waste, you could make your own night sky atlas.