At first glance this photo appears to be distorted through a fish-eye lens. But upon closer examination, you can see that this stunning image captures day and night in a single frame.

(Chris Kotsiopoloulos/Caters News Agency)

Chris Kotsiopoloulos created the 360-degree shot in the course of one 24-hour period, capturing sunrise through sunset in Sounio, Greece.

The project required patience; Kotsiopoloulos spent 30 hours in the same spot taking hundreds of images that he later painstakingly stitched together into one photo.

The temperature swings during the time he spent capturing the amazing panorama presented challenges. When the mercury plunged, Kotsiopoloulos had to use a hairdryer to prevent moisture from condensing on his camera lens.

(Chris Kotsiopoloulos/Caters News Agency)

Beginning in the east, the early morning sunshine hits the clouds before the sun tracks across the sky. The crystal blue day then gives way to more ominous cloud covering before finally plunging into darkness. There, Kotsiopoloulos added a long exposure to capture stunning star trails spiraling above a rural church.

"All my photos have a long story to tell," Kotsiopoloulos says of his work, "a story that goes back to the creation of our solar system, the formation of the sun, the planets, the earth and the moon."