Some questions about Space pictures

Im just curious about some of the picture we get from things like the rovers on mars and probes.


Why are they generally not in colour? you telling me they spend billions on a machine and dont include colour lenses?

Or even if they are in colour why do they show them to us in black and white?

All these things have lead to me not knowing what picture is a real image for example ive always wanted to see a real colour picture of the planet saturn. But when i do, i don't know if it's just someones nice graphic creation, a black and white picture where the colour has been added to it or real!!

Dont get mad at me or nothing im just saying what's on my mind

In scientific use color pictures doesn't really give more information... neither talking about that photos are just small part of data, in the end they get much more information from numerical data collected by many other instruments.

And taking color photos would triple bandwidth and required time for taking photos, because they would have to take all photos three times, once through red, green and blue filters.
Or otherwise they would have to use same method like in digicam and use RGB filter array built directly to CCD so that they can get color image with one exposure, but actually that would decrease real resolution.
And this would also prevent them taking photos in other wavelenght, or they would have to have two cameras, other with built-in color filter array and other with filter wheel with different wavelength filters.


www.dpreview.com.../key=Color_Filter_Array
www.dpreview.com.../key=sensors

he Panoramic camera (Pancam) color imaging system has, by far, the best capability of any camera ever sent to the surface of another planet.


Each "eye" of the Pancam carries a filter wheel that gives Pancam its multispectral imaging capabilities. Images taken at various wavelengths help scientists learn more about the minerals found in martian rocks and soils. Blue and infrared solar filters allow the camera to image the sun. These data, along with images of the sky at a variety of wavelengths, have helped to determine the orientation of the rover and have provided information about the dust in the atmosphere of Mars.

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...


[edit on 29-1-2005 by E_T]

almost all of the color pictures you see about space are false color images. There is very little scientific value in a full color image, but some people won't even bother looking at them if the yare not in color.

it is part of the whole science/promotion problem. Problem is they are using unmanned probes to promote manned missions when it should be the other way.

Thank you for clearing that up, It just adds to my view on you cant belive what you are being shown

Also, If you were shown a true color immage of say the Orion Nebula it would look nothing like what you would see with your own eye through a telescope. Why? Because the night vision sensors in your eyes do not see in color only in black and white. The light is so faint color is absent to the eye. So what would be TRUE color?

Originally posted by Deny Ignorance
Thank you for clearing that up, It just adds to my view on you cant belive what you are being shown

What the heck are you talking about? This is defintely not a reason to "add to that belief". You are not a scientist, and you are not critically analyzing these pictures for scientific benefit. Rather, you are just looking for something to be a controversy. There may be controversy out there, but this sure as heck isn't one of them.

Originally posted by Seapeople
What the heck are you talking about? This is defintely not a reason to "add to that belief".

Yeah, don't disgrace your username.


Here's official site with tool you can use to make color pictures from separate BW photos taken through different filters.
www.spacetelescope.org...
www.spacetelescope.org...
hubblesite.org...
Try to at least read that PDF if expecting that isn't too much.


"No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means."
-George Bernard Shaw