3 ms·

In astrophotography there's (almost) no such thing as "natural". It's definitely an aesthetic, but it's based on "real" data.

• platz 6y ago
  It can be true that it's both based on real data and that there is an aggressive amount of post-sharpening applied.
  • gbrown 6y ago
    This is true, but it's also true that making faint features visible (like the dark, dusty regions) often requires the use of local contrast, sharpening, and masks. Also, in the case of this specific image, I think it's important to note just how deep the images are - they're processed for high resolution in the individual components, so the mosaic has an absolutely huge resolution. When downscaled to look at the whole thing zoomed out, that might give some of the impression of over-sharpness.