Starship Asterisk*

Median Mashup: Hubble's Top 100

Explanation: Now, as you sip your cosmic latte you can view 100 Hubble Space Telescope images at the same time. The popular scenes of the cosmos as captured from low Earth orbit are all combined into this single digital presentation. To make it, Hubble's top 100 images were downloaded and resized to identical pixel dimensions. At each point the 100 pixel values were arranged from lowest to highest, and the middle or median value was chosen for the final image. The combined image results in a visual abstraction - light from across the Universe surrounded by darkness.

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Well nitpicker, you were looking for a way to see colors and things differently over in geck's microwave vision thread in the Open Space Forum, so does this APOD change your mind about that idea in any way?

The use of cosmic latte as the background color for this one amused me.

Hubble clearly goes for red, orange, green and pink light, as well as the general latte.

Ann (feeling blue)

What I don't get about this image, though, is where the texture came from. It looks like it was applied after the median stack was created.

geckzilla wrote:What I don't get about this image, though, is where the texture came from. It looks like it was applied after the median stack was created.

Actually, after duplicating the process myself, I have discovered that I am wrong. I expected a smoother texture but the result is this splotchy texture. Almost looks painted.

An average image. A waste of 100 good things. Some of the pixels are not North up and possibly mirrored too (I hate that). And it's like, totally 'shopped, man!

I showed my better half (an artist). She said it was quite beautiful. Then I showed her how it was made and she said she didn't like it anymore. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

...

Beyond wrote:Well nitpicker, you were looking for a way to see colors and things differently over in geck's microwave vision thread in the Open Space Forum, so does this APOD change your mind about that idea in any way?

No. I am sooo misunderstood. I want to see new colours that cannot be represented with the visible spectrum of light. Tis more of a thought experiment. Nothing as important as the work which lead to the discovery of "cosmic latte" (though I prefer it as "primordial clam chowder").

THE EYE OD SAURON!

Heh, this image is having an abysmal time so far on Facebook. No one gets it. I thought it was a fun idea. Here is my attempt. The median stack looks very similar. I wanted to see what it would look like with a mean stack instead.

Looks like a picture I made....and then used the BLUR TOOL on.....

I am thinking Monet would like it...

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geckzilla wrote:Heh, this image is having an abysmal time so far on Facebook. No one gets it. I thought it was a fun idea. Here is my attempt. The median stack looks very similar. I wanted to see what it would look like with a mean stack instead.

So...you get The SUN...on a foggy, or overcast day???

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OK....MAYBE the Orion Nebula comes close to being similar at least in colors,....but if I had stacked all of MY pictures....I would have deleted the results...

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geckzilla wrote:Heh, this image is having an abysmal time so far on Facebook. No one gets it. I thought it was a fun idea. Here is my attempt. The median stack looks very similar. I wanted to see what it would look like with a mean stack instead.

100_median.jpg

100_mean.jpg

Yours looks better, Geck. At least it looks like real caffe latte.

Also I think that that beige color is a rather good approximation of the mean color of the universe.

Ann

The point of this image totally escapes me!

I think the mission statement of APOD should be similar to that of the USS Enterprise "to boldly go where no one has gone before" and not to superimpose 100 images

What I'm still waiting for are images of NGC1234 (if there is one), or maybe NGC1 - is that the sun?

xmetman wrote:The point of this image totally escapes me!

I think the mission statement of APOD should be similar to that of the USS Enterprise "to boldly go where no one has gone before" and not to superimpose 100 images

What I'm still waiting for are images of NGC1234 (if there is one), or maybe NGC1 - is that the sun?

Like abstract art, the point is often to evoke an emotional response. Looks like it succeeded.

And NGC 1 is a spiral galaxy in Pegasus. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NG ... 80%931000)

This mashup is intriguing!

It is not only a nice picture, but shows some details I wonder about.

For example: what or why is that ring, roughly 1/2 of the picture in diameter, slightly to the left of picture center? Why is that ring depicted there? Why is there a change in color hue beyond that ring?

Any answer?
As said: it intrigues me!

*****

Kinda looks like a star forming nebula!

Fredo wrote:For example: what or why is that ring, roughly 1/2 of the picture in diameter, slightly to the left of picture center? Why is that ring depicted there? Why is there a change in color hue beyond that ring?

Might be that the 100 source images are slightly biased towards large, face on spirals and planetary nebula.

Why do this? Absolutely nothing rational about space can be learned from this image.

Very nice! Many thanks to the visionary, Michael West, that created this image.

Rob

BDanielMayfield wrote:Why do this? Absolutely nothing rational about space can be learned from this image.

There always going to be APODs where the best response is simply to wait until tomorrow.

BDanielMayfield wrote:Why do this? Absolutely nothing rational about space can be learned from this image.

It is art, no real rationale, or reason needed,....some people take science...and make art...just a whimsical notion...I know, I know, I don't get it either...why do that with 100 of Hubble Images, which are simply breath taking for the most part, and just mash them together? Well....you get "Special Sauce"...by mixing Ketchup with Tartar Sauce....go figure...

Some photographers take an exact picture. Some process it to look better and bring some detail out for study. Some take several pictures and make a composite of the sky, and the land, with something interesting. Some take a landscape photo, and put their Analema as the sky to make a more complete picture. Some is just "Hollywood". Done for effect. Not science. Some photogs take something that looks like something else and try to confuse us with a similarity to the sky, as with a recent APOD in a cave....

My only logical conclusion is...the Squirrels want to confuse us....it often works.

Well, it is certainly a unique APOD....
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What would a Monet painting look like if he wore corrective lenses for his near-sightedness? Ruben?

xmetman wrote:The point of this image totally escapes me!

I think the mission statement of APOD should be similar to that of the USS Enterprise "to boldly go where no one has gone before" and not to superimpose 100 images

What I'm still waiting for are images of NGC1234 (if there is one), or maybe NGC1 - is that the sun?

This is NGC 1234. And this just might be NGC 1.

Ann

I think that the crew at APOD has lost the plot!! So many images and they pick the noise.