Wednesday, December 19, 2012

A Stunning Two Billion Pixel Photo Is the Safest Way To Explore Mount Everest

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5969706/a-stunning-two-billion-pixel-photo-is-the-safest-way-to-explore-mount-everest

A Stunning Two Billion Pixel Photo Is the Safest Way To Explore Mount EverestNot only has filmmaker David Breashears climbed Mount Everest on five different occasions, he's visited the world's tallest peak 15 times in his career as he works to document the effects of climate change on the mountain. And fortunately for those of us who will never have the chance to see Everest in real life, let alone climb it, Breashers created a stunning gigapixel photo of the mountain and the Khumbu glacier earlier in the year.

The final composite, which can be panned, zoomed, and viewed on the GlacierWorks website, was assembled from almost 400 separate shots taken with a 300 millimeter zoom lens. It's so detailed you can apparently even see climbers making an ascent, and one of the base camps full of tents, all from the comfort and warmth of your couch. [GlacierWorks via NPR via Washington Post]

Image by David Breashears/GlacierWorks