Comments on: The Helix’s dusty heart http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:36:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Irishman http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29992 Irishman Wed, 14 Feb 2007 20:13:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29992 Anyone else notice the purple "heart-shape" in the second image? Happy Valentine's Day! Anyone else notice the purple “heart-shape” in the second image? Happy Valentine’s Day!

]]> By: That Neil Guy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29991 That Neil Guy Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:41:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29991 "The Hubble Site has a useful slideshow of how and why Hubble’s photos are colorized (you can play with a few pictures, too). " Thanks, Melusine, for that link to the hubble site. Great info, very helpful -- and interesting! “The Hubble Site has a useful slideshow of how and why Hubble’s photos are colorized (you can play with a few pictures, too). ”

Thanks, Melusine, for that link to the hubble site. Great info, very helpful — and interesting!

]]> By: Peter Bramley http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29990 Peter Bramley Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:21:58 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29990 If you were at the nebula would you be able to see it? Or are the particles too dispersed to see up close and only visible because we are so far away? If you were at the nebula would you be able to see it? Or are the particles too dispersed to see up close and only visible because we are so far away?

]]> By: Robbie Taylor http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29989 Robbie Taylor Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:13:34 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29989 Sorry if my link in the last post didn't work - it was to this Wikipedia entry for the Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle novel, The Mote in God's Eye - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mote_in_God's_Eye Sorry if my link in the last post didn’t work – it was to this Wikipedia entry for the Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle novel, The Mote in God’s Eye – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mote_in_God's_Eye

]]> By: Robbie Taylor http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29988 Robbie Taylor Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:11:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29988 We finally found the <a>Eye of God</a>! The Moties can't be far behind! We finally found the Eye of God! The Moties can’t be far behind!

]]> By: Grand Lunar http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29987 Grand Lunar Tue, 13 Feb 2007 12:39:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29987 I saw this on NASA's webpage not long before I found it here. Ah, connections in cyberspace... Moving along, it's facinating that we can find signs of comets in such a distant location. Yet another fantastic feat for the modern era of astronomy! I saw this on NASA’s webpage not long before I found it here. Ah, connections in cyberspace…

Moving along, it’s facinating that we can find signs of comets in such a distant location. Yet another fantastic feat for the modern era of astronomy!

]]> By: Melusine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29986 Melusine Tue, 13 Feb 2007 12:19:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29986 <blockquote>I think I recall hearing that all those marvelous Hubble (and other) images that we see are all, essentially, colorized. So would that red actually look red if we were viewing it naked eye? How does all that work? Are the colors added to indicate different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum?</blockquote> <b>That Neil Guy</b>, The Hubble Site has a useful slideshow of how and why Hubble's photos are colorized (you can play with a few pictures, too). For some reason it's not formatting right on my PC, but you can click and highlight the words down to the "next" button on the lower right: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/behind_the_pictures/ It's an interesting and important question, and one that's come up here before. What color would Mars' surface look like if we were actually standing there? And so on... Stunning picture!

I think I recall hearing that all those marvelous Hubble (and other) images that we see are all, essentially, colorized. So would that red actually look red if we were viewing it naked eye? How does all that work? Are the colors added to indicate different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum?

That Neil Guy, The Hubble Site has a useful slideshow of how and why Hubble’s photos are colorized (you can play with a few pictures, too). For some reason it’s not formatting right on my PC, but you can click and highlight the words down to the “next” button on the lower right:
http://hubblesite.org/gallery/behind_the_pictures/

It’s an interesting and important question, and one that’s come up here before. What color would Mars’ surface look like if we were actually standing there? And so on…

Stunning picture!

]]> By: Christian Burnham http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29985 Christian Burnham Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:35:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29985 Good grief- I'm so tired commenting on the BA's post concerning Christianity and evolution I don't have any time left today to read this science article. What does that say about me? Good grief-
I’m so tired commenting on the BA’s post concerning Christianity and evolution I don’t have any time left today to read this science article.

What does that say about me?

]]> By: Troy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29984 Troy Tue, 13 Feb 2007 07:28:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29984 The storm on Neptune when Voyager visited (1986) was called the "Wizard's eye", ground based observations showed that it disipated a few years later. Now that seems much more a wizard's eye than the Neptunian storm every was! The storm on Neptune when Voyager visited (1986) was called the “Wizard’s eye”, ground based observations showed that it disipated a few years later. Now that seems much more a wizard’s eye than the Neptunian storm every was!

]]> By: wright http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29983 wright Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:58:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29983 I had no idea planetary nebulae were so ephemeral... 10,000 years is it? Wow. I had no idea planetary nebulae were so ephemeral… 10,000 years is it? Wow.

]]> By: RPink http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29982 RPink Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:04:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29982 If I keep downloading these large satellite photos, I'm going to run out of hard drive space. :P I still have that 7872x8952 Tarantula Nebula image on here from your "Best of 2006" post. It has some stunning detail. Amazing. If I keep downloading these large satellite photos, I’m going to run out of hard drive space. :P

I still have that 7872×8952 Tarantula Nebula image on here from your “Best of 2006″ post. It has some stunning detail. Amazing.

]]> By: Chip http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29981 Chip Tue, 13 Feb 2007 04:21:43 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29981 What is interesting is that there are colors the human eye could detect for celestial objects under good seeing through a telescope - (not looking like the colors in the image of the Helix Nebula.) Our eyes don't function like a camera (digital or film), but there are colors we can see. There have been a few pictures recreated to give an impression of what the eye would see under perfect conditions or if closer to the nebula. It is not necessarily brighter, just more detailed. Most pictures I've seen in books and onm line are false colors designed to enhance specific gases or chemistry. What is interesting is that there are colors the human eye could detect for celestial objects under good seeing through a telescope – (not looking like the colors in the image of the Helix Nebula.) Our eyes don’t function like a camera (digital or film), but there are colors we can see. There have been a few pictures recreated to give an impression of what the eye would see under perfect conditions or if closer to the nebula. It is not necessarily brighter, just more detailed.

Most pictures I’ve seen in books and onm line are false colors designed to enhance specific gases or chemistry.

]]> By: Evolving Squid http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29980 Evolving Squid Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:47:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29980 I printed that on my Epson R2400. Looks awesome. My office needed some colour! I printed that on my Epson R2400. Looks awesome. My office needed some colour!

]]> By: TAW http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29979 TAW Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:06:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29979 How do they determine what colors they will fake? why red and blue-green and not orange and bright purple? How do they determine what colors they will fake? why red and blue-green and not orange and bright purple?

]]> By: The Bad Astronomer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29978 The Bad Astronomer Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:56:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29978 Spitzer is strictly infrared. So the colors are very false. Spitzer is strictly infrared. So the colors are very false.

]]> By: That Neil Guy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29977 That Neil Guy Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:30:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29977 So about that red color...how much of the color in this photo is "real" and how much is added? I think I recall hearing that all those marvelous Hubble (and other) images that we see are all, essentially, colorized. So would that red actually look red if we were viewing it naked eye? How does all that work? Are the colors added to indicate different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum? Or am I remebering wrong and all these colors are just out there, and if we were zooming around looking out our porthole window of our spaceship we'd see them? So about that red color…how much of the color in this photo is “real” and how much is added? I think I recall hearing that all those marvelous Hubble (and other) images that we see are all, essentially, colorized. So would that red actually look red if we were viewing it naked eye? How does all that work? Are the colors added to indicate different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum? Or am I remebering wrong and all these colors are just out there, and if we were zooming around looking out our porthole window of our spaceship we’d see them?

]]> By: Aerik http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/comment-page-1/#comment-29976 Aerik Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:19:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/12/the-helixs-dusty-heart/#comment-29976 Quick! Somebody photoshop this into the eye of sauron. Quick! Somebody photoshop this into the eye of sauron.

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