From Voyager I: Saturn
(original title: De Voyager I: Saturne)

Four days after Voyager I flew past the planet, it looked back and took a picture. This picture, taken from 5.3 million kilometers, presents a unique perspective. It is especially interesting to see the shadow of the rings on the planet and the shadow of the planet on the rings. I based my work on this picture to create this scene in Ultra Fractal.

Although Ultra Fractal is neither a ray-tracer nor a real 3D renderer, it is possible to create effects like these by going step by step. This composition is entirely based on a “do-nothing” pixel formula, and every detail comes from a precise use of mapping and coloring algorithms. I had to use the masking capabilities of Ultra Fractal extensively, for example to make the planet in the middle of its rings. The rings are created by using Paul L. Kloeg’s circle-limit formula. It’s always fascinating to see such a large and complex object appearing simple from a great distance. This is a 25-layer composition.