Starship Asterisk*

As some might know, APOD's 15th birthday is coming up on 2010 June 16. In past years, we have run unsolicited images sent in for the birthday occasion, many of them collages. Here are a few:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060616.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050616.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030616.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010616.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000616.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970616.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960616.html

Some are humorous takes on old famous paintings with recent APODs splattered about.

Although perhaps an immodest request, this year I would like to solicit image collages. The problem is that we can run only one, and some people might put in significant effort only to have another image chosen. Still, if you have a free few minutes, a good version of PhotoShop or the like, and you would like to have some fun, please have a go and post the result on the Observation Deck.

- RJN

I can't recall the details at the moment, but somewhere out there is software that can take a master image -- say, Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" -- and render it using tiny images drawn from a database of images. In effect it makes a picture using the dominant colour of others pictures as pixels. I'm sure you've seen examples. I'd like to see the APOD database (virtual though it may be) used as the source for such a project.

I have to run now, but drop me hints if you know more about how this is done, and I will follow up as and when possible.

Rob

[ later ]
Google solves all. I was describing an "image mosaic". I was able to download software (MacOSaiX) to run on my iMac to do this. I'm creating such an image now.

can someone please also put editor faces in here: