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I was looking at a photo of the Horsehead Nebula and noticed something weird

I was reading about how they process space images on a NASA website last night. They said the famous red color in a lot of nebula photos, like the Horsehead, isn't what you'd see with your own eyes. It's added to show the light from hydrogen gas, which our eyes can't see well. The real color would be a much dimmer pinkish-gray. It makes you think about how much of these amazing pictures is science and how much is art. Does anyone know if there's a standard way astronomers decide on these colors?
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4 Comments
iris_carter
Ever notice how food ads are Photoshopped too?
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leo_johnson
Actually they use a lot of glue and glycerin instead of photoshop for burgers and cereal. The milk in ads is usually white glue, lol.
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owens.jenny
Wow, @leo_johnson, I heard they use motor oil for syrup.
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fiona_carr26
Yeah, the glue thing @leo_johnson mentioned is mostly for photos, not video.
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