NOAO: NOAO Images Featured in a New Book for Astronomy Fans and Educators

[Ptah]

A new book will give readers a behind-the-scenes look at how spectacular images of space are made by the world’s largest and most powerful telescopes. The telescopes and images of National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) and Gemini Observatory are showcased in this book by long-time observer Dr. Travis Rector.

Featuring over three hundred large-format pictures, Coloring the Universe is an insider’s guide to what happens at the professional observatories (including NOAO) when we release color images of space. The book focuses on how the images are made, why they look the way they do, and what scientists learn from them.

The lead author, Dr. Travis Rector, has over the last 20 years made many of the images in the NOAO and Gemini Observatory galleries. He is joined by co-authors Kim Arcand and Megan Watzke from the Chandra X-ray Center, who study how the public interprets astronomy images.

Coloring the Universe collage of images Some of the images from the book Coloring the Universe. Clockwise from top left: The Rosette Nebula, the book cover featuring an image of the Elephant Trunk Nebula, the Moon, the Horsehead Nebula, with Pickering’s Triangle in the background.

“Everyone loves astronomy pictures. But they also have questions such as, ‘Is this what it really looks like?’ or ‘Are the colors real?’” said Rector. “The main goal of this book is to answer these questions.”

http://www.noao.edu/news/2015/pr1508.php

[DhhD]

1. Thanks Ptah, There is so much out there.

Lots for all of us to see and learn, especially students. Mankind will be headed away from Mother Earth eventually.