In addition to creating 2D illustration, astronomical artists explore the third dimension using 3D animation software. Accurate models of the planets of our solar system and of deep space objects allow us to understand them better and greatly enhance our appreciation of their strange beauty. We hope you enjoy the brief journeys afforded by the Quicktime™ movies here, created in Cinema 4D by the artists of Cosmographica.
Jupiter's Moons(500k) Jupiter and its system of satellites has often been described as a miniature solar system. As we fly away from Jupiter we pass in quick succession volcanic Io, mysterious Europa -- whose icy crust conceals a salty ocean -- and Ganymede and Callisto. The distances between the moons are accurately represented, providing a sense of the vastness of the Jovian System.
Saturn Flyby(796k) The Ringed Planet as it might appear from a passing spacecraft. We approach Saturn from high above its north pole, plunge through a gap in the rings, and briefly enjoy the glory of the rings as they are backlit by the distant sun. Saturn's gravity then flings us onward to the inner solar system.
The Orbiting Ice(700k) Saturn's Rings are composed of billions of chunks of ice, ranging in size from snowflakes to boulders, each following its own orbit as an independent satellite. Millions of years of gentle collisions have tamed any tendencies to wander from the herd and probably worn them quite smooth, like pebbles in a streambed.
The Clouds of Titan(1.2mb) Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is the only other world in the solar system besides the earth that has an extensive atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen. The air is incredibly cold, however, and deep beneath the smoglike hazes that enshroud this strange world may lie clues, preserved in deep freeze, to the ancient origins of our own environment.
