A visual rendering apparatus such as a telescope, microscope or attached tablet/led displays a magnified subject using the mapped rendering medium, in which the rendering medium includes at least one of actual visual transmissions of the subject and stored, high resolution images of the magnified subject. In an educational context, equipment for displaying true magnified images of, for example, celestial bodies or molecular structures can be beyond reach. Augmented reality provided by supplementing the true, rendered magnified subject with stored images corresponding to successive, higher magnification levels provides effective visualization with common educational tools, avoiding the need for extravagant scientific equipment.