NASA's scientific space photos: the creative process

October 11, 2022 By Alberto Mesti

(Image Credit Google)

Alyssa Pagan has a large part to play in the beautiful appearance of the Carina Nebula in the first James Webb Space Telescope photos that have been publicly shared. She is one of the processors at the Space Telescope Science Institute who transforms the data collected by Webb into something that is not only viewable but also attractive. Pagan refers to the project as a "partnership" between objective judgment, artistic standards developed through years of research, and data. The vast distances between Webb and the things being seen, among other factors, need this partnership. [caption id="attachment_49233" align="aligncenter" width="828"]

chromatic order of the Carina Nebula Image: Alyssa Pagan[/caption] JWST utilizes the infrared spectrum to have this much range. Researchers like Pagan have to make decisions about how to transform that data into something visible because infrared is invisible to the human eye. Viewers are able to interpret far more information than just the lovely sight by comprehending these selections. Pagan frequently receives inquiries concerning the colors, for instance. JWST takes several narrowband exposures, which are very narrow bands of infrared wavelengths that are correlated to the abundance of particular elements, such as different kinds of oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur. Following that, they are colored using a concept known as chromatic ordering. Shorter wavelengths, like oxygen, are paired with shorter wavelength colors, like blue, and so on. In order to create the image's foundation, these are then superimposed. hromatic order of the Carina Nebula Image: Alyssa Pagan

Although the hydrogen and sulfur bands both correspond with red hues, hydrogen is frequently given a yellower filter to produce sharper features in the finished output. Thus, the "Hubble palette" is produced, so named since the older telescope popularised it. The term "false" color has been used to describe these photographs. The colors, however, are a representation of actual facts, Pagan says. Informed readers can read them like a map, whether they are scientists or laypeople. It is evident that oxygen dominates the upper blue region of Webb's image of the Carina Nebula while hydrogen and sulfur are dominant in the lower red portion of the image. Things only become "a question of taste" after these base hues are used, according to Pagan. She could move the entire color wheel up or down, making purples appear more blue or vice versa. Like the case of the Carina Nebula, the contrast will probably be increased, bringing out the complementary colors.

By Alberto Mesti

Introvert. Eccentric at times. A fashion enthusiast, designer and writer. Lives for the drama, hates being at the centre of it. Can be best described as \'wannabe modern day Lady Whistledown\'.

NASA's scientific space photos: the creative process

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