Maybe it’s timing but I ran across two articles talking about picturing distant planets/solar systems. In the Wired article:
Alien Animal Planet
Flying whales, walking trees, three-eyed killer birds – NASA and SETI imagine life on other worlds.
Wired waxed poetic about what it may be like on another planet… but I found a rather good site in which a famous artist has taken Scientific descriptions and photos of planets and created wonderful paintings of how it may be like. If you have 10 minutes (or longer) wander around and view Lynette Cook‘s wonderful work.
Sample Image:
