150 Gigapixel Sky Image Contains 1 Billion Stars

The Bad Astronomer writes "Astronomers have used two big telescopes to create an infrared survey of the Milky Way that is the largest of its kind: the resulting image has an incredible 150,000 megapixels containing over a billion stars. Something that large is difficult to use, so they also made a pan-and-zoom version online which should keep you occupied for quite some time. These data will be used to better understand star formation in our Milky Way, and how far more distant galaxies and quasars behave." The interactive image is powered by IIPImage which happens to be Free Software and is cool in its own right (right click the image to get help — it has a full set of keybindings for navigation).

Oh my god

[Anonymous Coward]

It's full of stars!

3D version?

[cavok]

Why this is not in 3D yet?!?

Re:That's Big!

[Anonymous Coward]

Assuming 8 bits per pixel, a 150,000,000,000 pixel image would be 419GB.

Your new computer math is intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Daytime?

[Anne_Nonymous]

Now if we could just get a 150,000 megapixel image of the daytime sky, we wouldn't have to go outside at all.

Re:Doughnut Stars

[oodaloop]

A large massive object, like your mom, placed in front of the star can act like a gravitational lens.

Re:That's Big!

[digitalaudiorock]

Who else is somehow expecting to get that thing in a email from one of your less tech-savvy relatives...