Most astounding picture you've ever seen

[Raven's Nest]

Just seen... spoilered for size.

Spoiler

 

[Dr Jones]

Breaking the space combo!

Speaking of that picture

 

[everythingbeeps]

Usually it'll be space pictures, like those already posted.

But a little is lost when it's hard to know how much false color is used. Like, it's a cool image, but in the back of my mind I can't help but think "it wouldn't really look like that in person."

 

[Latinidiot]

Man, I had this insane photo from the cliff of Dun Aenghus.

By the way, you know that those eagle nebula picks are, well, enhanced? With potoshop?

Not photoshop per sey, but that image was taken on both the visible spectrum of light, infrared and ultra violet light to catch details visible light alone can not, then the 3 images are overlay on each other and some color enhancements to catch every detail.

Keep in mind not all of that nebula gives off light, much of it is reflected from near by stars. And some of those clouds absorb light, so other spectrums are used to see the whole thing.

Kinda like you are in a woods with a small flash light that takes 2 double A batteries. You do not see much, and it makes for dull photos.
Now if we took that image and over lay with a image from lets say a night vision camera, do some minor color corrections to make the details pop. It is still the same night time forest but now it is more interesting looking.

So yes the image has been enhanced but only so we can see more than just a grey blur on a all black screen

Thats the bet explanation I've heard yet.

 

[Arsen]

Ancient City of Palmyra in Syria.

 

[Wushu Panda]

So now it's your turn to show me the most amazing photo you've ever seen, whether it's on Earth or out in space, just make sure it's real and amazing.

Awesome Thread is Awesome

EDIT: someone already used the massive storm over the volcano in Chile pic But I has this place I would really like to visit.

Ash Cave in Logan, Ohio

And...

 

[emeraldrafael]

<spoiler=Seeing pictures of pilgrimage to Mecca>http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTp5TTHpn24/TcVddNuQUSI/AAAAAAAAAK0/w12bmpvxxXQ/s1600/masjidalharam.jpg

Im not Muslim, but still, its rather impressive. especially when you realize that that is people of many nationalities and backgrounds putting aside differences to make a pilgrimage like this.

EDIT:

and as something of a contrast, the pictures of the US civil war (particularly Gettysburg) do as well.

<spoiler=Warning, dead bodies>http://www.denizkuypers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/1863GettysburgBattlefield.jpg

 

[FortheLegion]

This is one of the most astounding pictures I've ever seen
http://edge.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/237570/80935033.jpg
I don't know why but it just haunts the deep corners of my mind...

 

[McMullen]

Ash Cave in Logan, Ohio

That is, without a doubt, the most fake-looking real image I've ever seen. It just screams "SHOPPED!", but there are other photos of it from different angles, so I guess it isn't.

 

[repeating integers]

Ash Cave in Logan, Ohio

That is, without a doubt, the most fake-looking real image I've ever seen. It just screams "SHOPPED!", but there are other photos of it from different angles, so I guess it isn't.

Real photos that actually look fake! What an advancement!

 

[Cooperblack]

I like this picture of the LHC, Though i guess you'll have to be a engineer to see the beauty in it.

 

[sgt. soap mctavish]

This is the most amazing photograph:

The Hubble Ultra-Deep Flied. It was taken over the period of months. To the naked eye this picture is an area of complete nothingness roughly one thirteen-millionth of the sky. Every point of light in this photo is an entire galaxy. There are an estimated 10 000 galaxies in this picture. See that large spiral galaxy in the lower right corner? It is so large that according to the science of time it should not exist.

The images of the galaxies are 13 billion years old. 13 BILLION. For reference the universe is thought to be only about 14 billion years old.

While I think mine is more visually appealing, this one is many orders of magnitude more impressive.

Funny, I'm watching How the Universe Works and that same photo just came up.

Really? It makes me think of Gurren Lagann.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I was going to do the hubble deep field, but upon entering the thread I realized I was in a geek forum therefore almost everyone already knows about it.

So I'll post the Carina Nebula instead.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Man, I had this insane photo from the cliff of Dun Aenghus.

By the way, you know that those eagle nebula picks are, well, enhanced? With potoshop?

Explain, please?

All the different colors correspond to a different gas, I believe blue is hydrogen, basically it's not a picture as we know it, think of it as an infrared picture or some kind of spectrographical thing, the real Pillars don't really look like that.

Regardless it's fucking awesome.

Ah, but colour is entirely an artifact of the way the brain works. As such, there isn't really any such thing as a 'real' image. Not in the way we're used to.

Although, colouring a picture based on what gases are involved is quite different to how we see, so in that sense you could say it's artificial.

But who can really argue with the results? Beautiful AND useful. (Knowing which gases are present in a nebula tells you more about it than what optical wavelengths of light it emits after all.)

 

[Mojo]

First look at this:

Spoiler

OK, Earth is kinda small right?
Now look at this:

Spoiler

Yea....
Now this:

Spoiler

Earth is now invisible.
Now the last one:

Spoiler

Jupiter (that big Mofo from the first pic. is invisible) and the Sun is 1 pixel..
Kinda puts things in perspective and somehow makes our lives seem totally meangless.

 

[Mojo]

Sry, double post.
Escapist was not showing my post for some reason.
EDIT:
Another picture, so this post isnt wasted:

Both the A and B field are the same shade of gray!
Its a real midfu*k, but its true!
Need proof? Oper spoiler.

Spoiler

(If you still dont belive, open with paint and cut & paste one field to the other.)

 

[repeating integers]

I was going to do the hubble deep field, but upon entering the thread I realized I was in a geek forum therefore almost everyone already knows about it.

So I'll post the Carina Nebula instead.

That was my desktop a while back. Can't believe I forgot about it. The universe is just beautiful.

Sry, double post.
Escapist was not showing my post for some reason.
EDIT:
Another picture, so this post isnt wasted:

Both the A and B field are the same shade of gray!
Its a real midfu*k, but its true!
Need proof? Oper spoiler.

Spoiler

(If you still dont belive, open with paint and cut & paste one field to the other.)

WAT

 

[LarenzoAOG]

This is the most amazing photograph:

The Hubble Ultra-Deep Flied. It was taken over the period of months. To the naked eye this picture is an area of complete nothingness roughly one thirteen-millionth of the sky. Every point of light in this photo is an entire galaxy. There are an estimated 10 000 galaxies in this picture. See that large spiral galaxy in the lower right corner? It is so large that according to the science of time it should not exist.

The images of the galaxies are 13 billion years old. 13 BILLION. For reference the universe is thought to be only about 14 billion years old.

While I think mine is more visually appealing, this one is many orders of magnitude more impressive.

Funny, I'm watching How the Universe Works and that same photo just came up.

Really? It makes me thin of Gurren Lagann.

I'm sorry, but what does that mean exactly? Is Gurren Lagann a person?

 

[Xeraxis]

Probably this.

I think it's a volcano somewhere in Iceland. Spewed bolts of lightning. Pretty awesome

 

[LarenzoAOG]

I was going to do the hubble deep field, but upon entering the thread I realized I was in a geek forum therefore almost everyone already knows about it.

So I'll post the Carina Nebula instead.

Hot damn, that is beautiful.