This extraordinary image resembling a tiny planet is actually a digitally warped and stitched mosaic of a panorama captured during the course of a 33-hour-long photo experiment conducted by photographer György Soponyai at the Hungarian Astronomical Association Astro Camp, near Tarján.

For those who aren’t familiar, these kind of “little planet” photos are constructed by taking the ends of a 360-degree panorama, wrapping them around and joining them seamlessly. The effect results in the creation of a little planet, often with the nadir (the ground in this case) at the center of the projection and the zenith (the sky) surrounding the planet on all sides.

Photo credit: György Soponyai/Flickr

But why this particular little image picture so extraordinary? Because this is not only a panorama, but a multiple exposure composite as well as a long exposure photo.