Researchers are using recent advances in imaging to reexamine lunar samples from Apollo 11. Gary Greenberg, a research affiliate at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, took this 3-D stereo image (cross your eyes slightly until there are three images, then focus on the center) of a single grain of moon sand (magnified here about 300 times). It reveals a ring created by a micrometeorite that struck it. The impact resulted in melting, and as the particle quickly cooled, it created a glassy structure. Greenberg and his colleagues hope viewing these grains in greater detail may help scientists learn more about the moon’s evolution.

6 Comments

1. 1. jack.123 06:48 PM 10/26/11

   Awesome 3D effect. Can this be used for other types of photos?or video?

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2. 2. leppykahn 12:02 PM 10/29/11

   Yes, it works for most anything. It's called stereoscopic imaging. Here's an example of a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG4s6WoREpg

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3. 3. gfalck 12:22 AM 10/30/11

   Cross-eyed viewing of stereo image pairs works quite well for me as long as care is taken to be sure the image as seen by the right eye is on the left. The print edition of the current Scientific American has them in reverse and that spoils the effect--the grain looks dish-shaped instead of (averaging) as a convex view.

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4. 4. petesciam 02:36 AM 10/30/11

   The instructions below the steroscopic pair of photos of moon grain may not be correct. If you cross your eyes to create the middle image as stated, the 3-D near-far effect is reversed. The correct instruction should be to relax your eyes so they are focused near infinity. Then, the middle 3-D image will be correct. It will appear convex, and the bright grain spec (near the hole) is closest to you.

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5. 5. bucketofsquid 12:12 PM 11/3/11

   When your eyes are tired or strained the effect doesn't work. I normally can get a 3D effect but this time it fails.

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6. 6. vladimir tamari 04:38 AM 12/10/11

   Stereoscopic imaging (mainly photography) has been going on since the mid--19th. century, but the need for glasses has made enthusiasm for it fade during some periods. Now with digital 3D displays for TV and computer monitors, the fun has reached a new depth. Check out my analog 3D drawing instruments here: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/tamari/vladimir/3dd.html All the stereo pairs on my site require reducing the image size then staring 'beyond' the image until you see three pictures. The middle one will be in 3D. Google for Stereoscopic and you will see lots of sites.
   

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