I can’t understand what are the true colors of various different space photos. I know that they are colorized, but how? How human eye could see space, galaxies and everything “in person”? I can’t comprehend it
In: Planetary Science
A lot of astronomical imaging is done in wavelengths of light/radiation that humans can’t see. Microwaves, radio waves, x-rays, ultraviolet, infrared, etc. The visible spectrum that humans can see is a relatively small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The “true colors” are very often beyond the range of what humans can see. So the information from the imaging devices is converted into colors that humans can see. Sometimes the colors used are chosen to make the prettiest composition, to show to the public and get them interested in science. Other times the colors are chosen to make scientific analysis of the subject easier.
If you’ve ever seen images taken from a thermal camera, the concept is the same thing. Humans can’t see the infrared light that thermal imaging devices use to tell how hot something is. So the thermal camera’s electronics convert the invisible light they’re detecting into an image that we can see and make sense of.
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