Deep Sky Imaging

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Red: 502 nm filter

Green: 656 nm filter

Blue: 673 nm filter

 

Above is an image that I created in Photoshop by layering and color-coding three different wavelength filters from a European Space Agency website. Each of the three images is filtered to show only a specific wavelength of electromagnetic emission. By layering these images and assigning each a representational color, one can create a single image that describes what general frequencies of light are being emitted. Looking at this information by filtering telescopic photos to specific wavelengths is extremely useful in astronomy. It allows us to understand what exactly we are looking at, what elements make it up, and how far away it is.

The images that I used are photographs of Messier 17, a star-forming nebula more commonly known as the Horseshoe Nebula or the Omega Nebula. It can be found here in the Milky Way near the Sagittarius constellation. The brightest part of the cloud appears roughly 15 light years long, but the actual length is closer to 40 light years. The distance from us is estimated at 5 to 6 thousand light years. The nebula can be seen by the naked eye from most places, though not easily.

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