Re: [APML] Science in Astrophotos?

[steve banbury <banburys@sonic.net>]

It seems that the recent "debate" centered around the question asked by
Chuck Vaughn:

>So would you and Torsten also say that color images assembled from data
> returned from various planetary spacecraft are just pretty pictures and no
> science can had from them?

My response, and those of Frank Schiffel and Siebren Klein was essentially
"yes, they are (mostly) pretty pictures"; not that No science could be had
from them.
For the most part, I believe the aspects that make them "pretty pictures"
dilutes the science that can be obtained from them. There is more science that
can be accomplished through analysis of individual tech pan shots taken
through filters at specific wavelengths than when a number of these shots
are summed 
and colorized to make a "pretty picture".  This is true whether the data
accumulated is within humans relatively narrow range of visual perception,
or extends across
the entire electromagnetic spectrum. This is true whether the detection
medium is film, CCD, CMOS, or microwave diodes.

Application of false color to grey scale images can be a visual aid in
understanding the mathmatical significance (science) of the images.
See for example: http://nvo.gsfc.nasa.gov/mw/mmw_allsky.html

They're pretty too!

This in no way detracts from the fantastic visual results Chuck and others
have achieved using tech pan and filters to approximate a flat detector
responsivity
across the visual spectrum. And there is one heck of a lot of science
assimilated and applied in that accomplishment!

I'll go back into the woodwork now!

SteveB


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