Coloring the Universe : An Insider's Look at Making Spectacular Images of Space

With a fleet of telescopes in space and giant observatories on the ground, professional astronomers produce hundreds of spectacular images of space every year. These colorful pictures have become infused into popular culture and can found everywhere, from advertising to television shows to memes. But they also invite questions: Is this what outer space really looks like? Are the colors real? And how do these images get from the stars to our screens? __Coloring the Universe__ uses accessible language to describe how these giant telescopes work, what scientists learn with them, and how they are used to make color images. It talks about how otherwise un-seeable rays, such as radio waves, infrared light, X-rays, and gamma rays, are turned into recognizable colors. And it is filled with fantastic images taken in far-away pockets of the universe. Informative and beautiful, __Coloring the Universe__ will give space fans of all levels an insider’s look at how scientists bring deep space into brilliant focus. Foreword / By David Malin -- Preface -- Human Versus Telescope : Comparing Telescopic Vision With Human Vision. Seeing Is Believing ; Three Things A Telescope Does -- This Is Not A Selfie : How Telescopes And Their Cameras Work. How A Visible-light Telescope Works ; Starlight, Camera, Action! ; Calibrating The Camera -- Coloring The Universe : Broadband Images, And How We Use Color. Show Your True Colors ; Making Color In Photography ; Putting Color Into Astronomical Images ; Broadband Filters -- Color Is Knowledge : What Scientists Learn From Color With Broadband Filters. Stars In Living Color ; Diamonds And Dust ; The Colors Of Galaxies -- A Brief History Of Astronomical Images : The History Of How (and Why) Images Are Made. The Era Of Photographic Plates ; Astronomy For Everyone ; The Rise Of The Electronic Camera ; The Year That Was 1994 ; Onward To The Future ; The Time Is Now --^ The Marvel Of Hydrogen : The Most Important Element And How We See It. Element Number One ; The Birth Of Stars ; Jets From Forming Stars ; Choosing The Colors -- Seeing Red : How We See Color, And How We Use It. How Our Eyes See Color ; Interpretation Of Color ; Perception Of Temperature ; Here And Far ; Not Paint By Numbers -- Narrowband Imaging : Addition By Subtraction. The Spaces Between The Notes ; Give Me Oxygen ; When A Star Hits Empty ; Fifty Shades Of Red ; The Hubble Palette And Beyond ; Big Stars Go Bang -- A Night In The Life : Observing With The Word's Largest Telescopes. These Are Professional Grade ; Reservations Required? ; Working Dusk Till Dawn ; Remote Control --^ Outside The Rainbow : The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Different Kinds Of Light. The Electromagnetic Spectrum ; Radio, Radio ; Microwaves : More Than The Oven ; Infrared : Can You Feel The Heat? ; Visible : The Tiny Slice You Can See ; Ultraviolet : Light My Way ; X-rays : Beyond The Dentist's Office ; Gamma Rays : Light To The Extreme ; The Visible Made Visible -- Photoshopping The Universe : What Do Astronomers Do? What Do Astronomers Not Do? From Data To An Image ; Enter Photoshop ; Cleaning The Image ; What Not To Do -- The Aesthetics Of Astrophysics : Principles Of Composition Applied To The Universe. The Sharpness Of An Image ; Color Contrasts ; The Composition Of An Image ; Structure And Detail ; The Natural And Supernatural ; Anatomy Of And Image : Breakdown Of The Pillars Of Creation ; Scientific And Beautiful -- Epilogue: Seeing The Eye (and Hand) Of God : Pareidolia, Or Seeing Faces/objects In Astronomical Imagery. Dr. Travis A. Rector, Kimberly Arcand, And Megan Watzke. Includes Bibliographical References (page 245). CONTENTS......Page 6 Foreword by David Malin......Page 9 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Seeing Is Believing......Page 17 Three Things a Telescope Does......Page 19 How a “Visible-Light” Telescope Works......Page 25 Starlight, Camera, Action!......Page 33 Calibrating the Camera......Page 35 Show Your True Colors......Page 39 Making Color in Photography......Page 41 Putting Color into Astronomical Images......Page 43 Broadband Filters......Page 46 Stars in Living Color......Page 49 The Colors of Galaxies......Page 55 5. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ASTRONOMICAL IMAGES: THE HISTORY OF HOW (AND WHY) IMAGES ARE MADE......Page 65 The Era of Photographic Plates......Page 67 Astronomy for Everyone......Page 69 The Rise of the Electronic Camera......Page 70 The Year That Was 1994......Page 73 Onward to the Future......Page 75 The Time Is Now......Page 78 Element Number One......Page 83 The Birth of Stars......Page 86 Jets from Forming Stars......Page 95 Choosing the Colors......Page 101 How Our Eyes See Color......Page 103 Perception of Temperature......Page 106 Here and Far......Page 109 Not Paint by Numbers......Page 110 8. NARROW BAND IMAGING: ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION......Page 121 The Spaces between the Notes......Page 123 Give Me Oxygen......Page 125 When a Star Hits Empty......Page 129 The “Hubble Palette” and Beyond......Page 134 Big Stars Go Bang......Page 144 9. A NIGHT IN THE LIFE: OBSERVING WITH THE WORLD’S LARGEST TELESCOPES......Page 149 These Are Professional Grade......Page 151 Reservations Required?......Page 153 Remote Control......Page 154 The Electromagnetic Spectrum......Page 161 Microwaves: More Than the Oven......Page 166 Infrared: Can You Feel the Heat?......Page 168 Ultraviolet: Light My Way......Page 171 X-rays: Beyond the Dentist’s Office......Page 173 Gamma Rays: Light to the Extreme......Page 176 The Invisible Made Visible......Page 177 11. PHOTOSHOPPING THE UNIVERSE: WHAT DO ASTRONOMERS DO? WHAT DO ASTRONOMERS NOT DO?......Page 183 From Data to an Image......Page 185 Enter Photoshop......Page 186 Cleaning the Image......Page 188 What Not to Do......Page 190 The Sharpness of an Image......Page 195 Color Contrasts......Page 198 The Composition of an Image......Page 204 Structure and Detail......Page 214 The Natural and Supernatural......Page 224 Anatomy of an Image: Breakdown of the Pillars of Creation......Page 232 Scientific and Beautiful......Page 234 EPILOGUE: SEEING THE EYE (AND HAND) OF GOD: PAREIDOLIA, OR SEEING FACES/OBJECTS IN ASTRONOMICAL IMAGERY......Page 235 Notes......Page 255 Resources......Page 259 Index......Page 261

With a fleet of telescopes in space and giant observatories on the ground, professional astronomers produce hundreds of spectacular images of space every year. These colorful pictures have become infused into popular culture and can found everywhere, from advertising to television shows to memes. But they also invite questions: Is this what outer space really looks like? Are the colors real? And how do these images get from the stars to our screens? Coloring the Universe uses accessible language to describe how these giant telescopes work, what scientists learn with them, and how they are used to make color images. It talks about how otherwise un-seeable rays, such as radio waves, infrared light, X-rays, and gamma rays, are turned into recognizable colors. And it is filled with fantastic images taken in far-away pockets of the universe. Informative and beautiful, Coloring the Universe will give space fans of all levels an insider's look at how scientists bring deep space into brilliant focus.

With a fleet of telescopes in space and giant observatories on the ground, professional astronomers produce hundreds of spectacular images of space every year. These colourful pictures have become infused into popular culture and can found everywhere, from advertising to television shows to memes. But they also invite questions: Is this what outer space really looks like? Are the colours real? And how do these images get from the stars to our screens? 'Coloring the Universe' uses accessible language to describe how these giant telescopes work, what scientists learn with them, and how they are used to make colour images