Alien: the planet LV-426 (Acheron)

THE PLANET 'LV-426' (ACHERON) FROM "ALIEN"

I managed to find (then lose, thanks to a hard-drive crash in 2009) the texture actually used during the filming of "Alien" and apply it to a sphere in Carrara. A quick background courtesy of Astronomy Picture of the Day, adjusted for hue in Photoshop, a lens-flare, and voila - the planet that started it all, back in 1979!

NOTE: Click on the image above for a larger version, suitable for your computer's desktop. (1200x600px)