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24 hours captured in a single 360-degree panoramic image

24 hours captured in a single 360-degree panoramic image

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Feast your eyes on this staggering 360-degree panorama that was shot over 30 hours and captures a complete transition from day to night.

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360 photo day and night
360 photo day and night

Feast your eyeballs on this staggering 360-degree panorama that captures a complete transition from day to night. Though two years old, the image is making the rounds this week. It was shot on a Canon 550D in Sounio, Greece by Chris Kotsiopoulos, and is comprised of 560 different images that were taken over the span of 30 hours. In order to capture the entire cycle, Kotsiopoulos was required to stay in one spot through the duration of the shoot, repositioning the camera and adjusting filters to follow the sun and stars. The shoot took place in December of 2010, so to prevent moisture from building in the lens, he was prepared to warm it every 30 minutes with a hairdryer (though it wasn't necessary). But the 30 hour shoot was just the beginning, importing, processing and stitching the images together took an additional 12 hours.

For most of us, committing 42 hours to a single image would seem like a foolish endeavor, but Kotsiopoulos' passion for astrophotography has been a seven year pursuit. In an interview with Athens News, he described how a simple point-and-shoot camera and a small telescope inspired the work he does today:

The initial fascination when I saw the lunar craters became a burning desire to capture this view with a camera. The rest of the story includes a continuous journey to the fascinating world of astrophotography in order to learn more and to photograph the celestial wonders combined with beautiful Greek landscapes.

For those with an interest to replicate Kotsiopoulos' techniques, extensive galleries and in-depth guides are available on his personal website.