Even in the visible light spectrum, we do not see galaxies in color because film and chips can accumulate light over time in ways that our rods and cones can’t. If I image the Andromeda Galaxy over a couple of hours, it will look very different than if you look at it through a telescope.
Isaac Schultz
isaacschultz
Science writer at Gizmodo, previously of Atlas Obscura. A native New Yorker. Mostly covering ancient things (on Earth and beyond) and masses extremely big or incredibly small.
I take issue with the statement that we shouldn’t be asking what these sights would look like if we were to pull up in a spaceship and see them unfolding outside. I’d love to know what that experience would be like, as well as what it looks like on Mars to walk out of a habitat at noon (it should at least be somewhat… Read more
Good article. The goal in astrophotography is to accurately represent nature. There is certainly an element of art, but as long as nature is accurately described, nothing is faked.
About the only unprocessed astronomy photo you will find is this one:
That nebula looks like a straight up portal. Or at least what I imagine one would look like in real life.
Dagnabbit, you people never let something go, do you???
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MACHOs :D (massive astrophysical compact halo objects)
Tightened up the header for you: Read more
Thanks Isaac, find this pretty interesting.
Space: vast, possibly infinite, and mostly empty Read more
That lasted about as long as an Audi windshield.
Here’s an idea, next time we build a space telescope, let’s build a few more in parallel, as insurance in case of rocket failure or space impact. And if all of them succeed, astronomers get to point them at more space stuff.
They must’ve figured this could happen. Aside from all the crap man has lobbed up there space is filled with things zinging around at tens of thousands of miles per hour.
Also, is the device really neon pink or is that just the artist’s illustration?
Replacing the panel would be the easy part because getting there is impossible.
This is like the space version of taking your new car for a spin only to get a chip in your windshield moments after leaving the lot!
“launched and commissioned without issue” Read more
What’s even crazier is that the vast majority of the jaw-dropping images on NASA’s website, or whatever the satellite flavor of the day is, are wildly enhanced and converted for human eyes anyway.
If you want to be really pedantic, everything you see is not it’s “actual color.”
this is extremely exciting, is it going to mean a change from fuel to electric overnight? hell no, the battery density simply isn’t there yet. but it’s the start of something that will likely become part of the basis of electric planes down the line.
Because NASA wants to continue sending completely electric aircraft, like the helicopter drone that was sent to Mars with the Perseverance rover, to other planets. They already have a quad-copter as part of a planned mission to Titan in the near future. So, assuming we get boots on the ground on Mars in the next 20-30… Read more