3 ms·

Does anyone know if bubble images are “true color”?

• jzl 8y ago
  Don't know specifically about this one but many aren't. The Pillars Of Creation isn't[1]. Also we humans can never see most of space in "true color" with our own eyes, even in a telescope, because the brightness of the incoming light is so low that our eyes are detecting the photons via color-insensitive rods rather than cones. Only a time-lapse photo can bring out the real colors. [1] http://hubblesite.org/image/351/news_release/1995-44 http://hubblesite.org/image/351/news_release/1995-44 -- "The color image is constructed from three separate images taken in the light of emission from different types of atoms. Red shows emission from singly-ionized sulfur atoms. Green shows emission from hydrogen. Blue shows light emitted by doubly- ionized oxygen atoms."
  • ygra 8y ago
    This one [-7] is visible-light and doesn't look too different, though. The infrared one [2.4] looks very cool, too. [-7] http://hubblesite.org/image/3471/news_release/2015-01 http://hubblesite.org/image/3471/news_release/2015-01 [2.4] http://hubblesite.org/image/3475/news_release/2015-01 http://hubblesite.org/image/3475/news_release/2015-01
    • Keysh 8y ago
      The first image [-7] is basically the same as the classic WFPC2 image jzl was referring to -- i.e., using the same mapping of emission-line filters to R, G, and B -- just using a newer camera.