The VERY little town of Bethlehem
And here’s the actual size of the 4cm needle!
THREE wise men looking for baby Jesus will have to do more than follow a star to find him in this nativity scene.
Using laser technology, scientists have created a stable sculpture so tiny it can fit into the eye of a needle – and where the son of God is smaller than a human cell.
But take a look under a microscope and Joseph, Mary, Jesus – and all their wellwishers at the crib – are revealed.
Named the Nano Holy Family, it is a replica of the life-size nativity scene at Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania – only reduced in size 10,000 times.
The nano Jesus measures approximately 22.822 micrometres high by 12.5 micrometres wide. By contrast, a human cell has a 50 micrometre diameter.
The micro nativity was created by a 30strong team from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and the Vilnius University laser research centre, who scanned the original statues with lasers.
Each of the 15 individual sculptures were then painstakingly built up with a 3D printing technique, which involved using a laser to precisely carve the figures from tiny lumps of plastic.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph are joined by the three kings, three shepherds, a camel, bull, donkey, two sheep, and manger on a disc just 300 micrometres in diameter.