Originally posted by tauristercus

Originally posted by wildespace

Why are so few of the Cassini pictures in color?

Creating color images is a complex task requiring much more labor and computer time than black and white images.

Errrrrr .... why ? Since when does taking a colour pic become such a complex task ?
My smartphone takes brilliant, hi res pics with no effort at all.

Are you trying to tell me that the equivalent of a cheap smartphone colour capable cmos chip is impossible to mount on the craft and if it was, that it would be incapable of taking a real-time colour pic and then beam it back to Earth ?

C'mon ... really ???
Really ???

They didn't have "cheap smartphone color" in the late 80', early 90's when the Cassini code was put together. It launched in 97. Took 7 years to get there (couple of swings around the neighborhood). Remember, deep space missions are handicapped with technology of the launch. By the time the orbiter gets there, the technology is somewhat outdated. Too bad.

Ok, the reason pics are not taken in color.

1. Black and white holds better definition for the process.
2. Power for transmission is limited, very limited and so black and white is logical
3. Sensors checking other wavelengths can reveal way more material than the human visible spectrum.
4. These are RAW images. You then put them into the computer and have the computer measure the tones and supply the matching colors. You don't waste important data onboard a ship when it can be done on Earth.

I hope that helps people understand

Maybe it's a cross-section of an icosahedron and not a hexagon at all...
Sacred geometry can teach us some cool stuff - maybe?

I'm eagerly waiting for some close-up pics of Uranus next!

Amazing Images, Cassini just keeps on giving. S+F

Originally posted by winterkill
Ok, the reason pics are not taken in color.

1. Black and white holds better definition for the process.
2. Power for transmission is limited, very limited and so black and white is logical
3. Sensors checking other wavelengths can reveal way more material than the human visible spectrum.
4. These are RAW images. You then put them into the computer and have the computer measure the tones and supply the matching colors. You don't waste important data onboard a ship when it can be done on Earth.

I hope that helps people understand

Smartphones arent that big or heavy, last i checked doesnt take them much to charge and it last days with a small lithium battery.

And what happens if you dont have a computer eh wise guy?