Well, kinda. Yesterday I posted about the new Hubble release of the Coma cluster. In the comments, Powerdroid wrote that he noticed that a pair of galaxies appeared to be repeated in the image, like a cosmic echo. It looked like an imaging mistake to me, but to make sure, I contacted my old bud Zolt Levay, who puts together most if not all of the incredible Hubble images you have seen over the past 15+ years.
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| The Hubble Coma cluster image with the echoed object indicated. |
He wrote me back and told me that this was indeed an error; a problem that occurred while cleaning up all the images that were put together to make the big mosaic. Hubble imaging expert Lisa Frattare fixed the problem, and put the cleaned images back on the Hubble site.
Never doubt the power of the blogosphere. We can even change the heavens themselves. My congrats to Powerdroid for keenly spotting the problem. That’s very cool.
June 11th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Gonk!
June 11th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
For a while there i actually thought some random internet dude commenting on your blog had made a multi-billion dollar donation to keep Hubble running for a few more years.. but i guess this is cool too..
June 11th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
OK, I gotta ask: Let’s assume this error had gone undetected. What kind of errant observations and conclusions would scientists made from such an image processing error? How common are such errors? And how many faulty conclusions/observations/announcements have been made as a result? Have any retractions been necessitated by finding the error afterwards?
These questions are sort of rhetorical, but this situation demonstrates why I sometimes get uncomfortable with the reliance on “computer enhanced imagery” and computational models. Is it possible we’ve enhanced and simulated ourselves into a totally wrong understanding of the universe?
June 11th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Way to go Powerdroid!
June 11th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Bah! This just proves that NASA doctors all their pictures to hide our alien overlords.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Wow… Behold the power of the blogosphere, indeed. And behold the power of the Bad Astronomer’s faithful readers!
June 11th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I don’t know DannyMo, but that sort of thing does always make me hesitate when I first present something I’ve done as if “OMG what if I made a mistake! What if what if what if…?”
But analysis of data for publication is also more closely combed, I would think, by the researcher than an image for the press. Also, there’s a reviewer combing over your stuff, too, not to mention collaborators. It helps mitigate mistakes. Also, when something is not repeatable or observable by other teams, that is a good hint that there is a mistake! I don’t think we can mistake ourselves into a wrong version of the universe, for the universe will correct us. If *anything* at all, the limited understanding that a human brain brings to the problem is the bias that I would worry about.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
DannyMo, there probably wouldn’t have been any scientific impact. Usually, scientists put together the images separately from the outreach folks. Also, someone would have caught it sooner or later.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Power droid has a posse!
http://www.dieselsweeties.com/shirts/gonkdroid/
June 11th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Odd that a power droid spotted the mistake and not an astro-droid.
:-/
Gonk, indeed.
June 11th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Also, for something to be taken on board as legitimate science it has to be confirmed from multiple observations, and for the big stuff (dark matter, big bang, etc) by different platforms.
June 11th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Looks like my cat’s face.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Holy smokes!
Thank you all for the generous praise. I must admit, though, I was hoping it was a real phenomenon. Maybe, y’know, a cloaked ship between here and there.
I’m glad I could contribute.
-Powerdroid
June 12th, 2008 at 10:09 am
By the way, what do I win?
Besides the satisfaction and respect, I mean.
Later.
-Powerdroid
June 12th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
[...] foto een fout zit. En niet een kleintje ook. Het blijkt namelijk dat er helemaal rechts op de foto een sterrenstelsel dubbel is afgebeeld! Op de foto links heb ik ‘m even omcirkeld. Dubbelklikken zal niet veel te zien geven, maar [...]
June 12th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
The different Hubble photo’s that were used to be combined into that one mosaic can be seen on a photoshop version of the Comacluster. See a blog about it here: http://www.astroblogs.nl/2008/06/12/nog-even-over-die-foto-van-de-comacluster/ OK, it’s in Dutch, but never mind, it’s about the photo.
June 12th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Powerdroid for the win!
Um, the prize? How about a spare accumulator?
Or – perhaps Phil can fix a Doctor Who droid cameo? Wouldn’t that be cool?
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
A woman looking at Galaxy Zoo images had a question about something strange. It’s now a new subject for research.
Many eyes make light work.
And from a lightbulb joke:
“It’s OK. I’ll just sit here… in the dark.”
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 am
Now that’s secret. Talk an authority figure into changing the photo, and the heavens change with it. BA, this the core of a great new book for you. I bet you can flog it on Oprah when it’s finished.