Astronomy « Artsnova Digital Art and Space

Archive for the ‘Astronomy’ Category

Hubble 3D IMAX Movie

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Hubble 3D IMAX movie

What a great IMAX movie. Thursday I visited Chicago’s Navy Pier to take some photographs and attend a screening of the latest IMAX movie - Hubble 3D. I had a number of free passes so I and several friends from the National Space Society met up to see the movie.

According to the theater Shuttle astronaut John Grunsfeld, who was in the movie and was one of the astronauts on the last Hubble servicing mission, was supposed to be there. However there was no John Grunsfeld. I never did ask anyone from the theater what happened.

As to the movie, the main themes were the training for the Hubble servicing mission, the actual servicing mission itself, and simulated 3D views of some of Hubble’s better known observations. The blend of shuttle launches, astronaut training, the Hubble servicing missions, and the simulated trips through the Orion Nebula and M87 kept the movie well paced.

The 3D, which relies on polarized light rather than the red/blue anaglyph, really made the movie spectacular. When the astronauts were in the Space Shuttle’s payload bay servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, it was like being there with them. One particularly effective shot was a close in view of astronaut Megan McArthur suited up prior to boarding the Space Shuttle for the STS-125 mission. She was seated and it was like she was seated only a few feet in front of me. I felt like I could reach out and give her a high-five. Megan was a mission specialist on STS-125, the 5th and final Hubble servicing mission, and worked the remote manipulator system (RMS) used to grab the Hubble Space Telescope and bring it into the Shuttle’s payload bay.

Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula is arguably the best known and most photographed astronomical feature. Astronomically, the highlight of the movie was the simulated trip to and through the Orion Nebula, which is a stellar nursery. I’ve had an interest in the Orion Nebula, also known as Messier 42 or M42, for a long time and have in the past considered putting together a presentation on the subject. If you want to know a lot more about the Orion Nebula, I recommend the book The Orion Nebula: Where Stars Are Born.

Disappointments

There were some slow moments during the show that relied on non-3d visuals. These were primarily news reports associated with Hubble’s initial optical problems (recall that the primary mirror was ground a fraction of the width of a human hair out of shape).

I would have liked to have seen more of the movie devoted to astronomy. There were some beautiful 3D stills, like that of the Helix Nebula, and the simulated trip to the galaxy known as M87, a giant elliptical galaxy with a super massive black hole at its center. And there was more - just not enough for me.

Bottom Line

If you are at all interested in space exploration or astronomy, then this is a movie you’ll enjoy. The 3D views are amazing and the script provides a great educational opportunity. And did I mention that the 3D views are amazing.

Afterwards

After the movie we headed to Bubba Gump’s for food and drink. Bubba Gump’s wasn’t our first choice but other than Harry Caray’s, it was the only place still open. For the next hour and a half we talked some about the movie but mostly about the National Space Society and the upcoming International Space Development Conference (ISDC) - which all of us have an involvement in. For my part, I am the ISDC webmaster and am the point of contact for the Call for Papers. The ISDC is being held in Chicago this year over Memorial Day weekend and is the best space exploration conference for the general public. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, and many other space luminaries, will be attending. For more about the ISDC, check out the International Space Development Conference web site.

The Hubble 3D IMAX Web Site

The IMAX folks have a web site for the Hubble 3D movie. There is background about the shuttle missions, the astronauts, and a few movie wallpapers available. Be forewarned - the web site is heavy. If you don’t have a high speed internet connection the site will take some time to load. And if you don’t have a newer computer - well let’s just say that the site will put a strain on your browser. So for more about the movie, visit www.imax.com/hubble/.

Tags: 3D, hubble, IMAX, movie
Posted in Astronomy, Odds and Ends, Space Exploration, Videos | 1 Comment »

Bookmark it:

Sagan video Glorious Dawn - Art Meets Science

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

It’s great when art and science come together to produce something that is both entertaining and intellectual. The video that follows is an excellent example of that. Nothing like science set to music. The video Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn featuring Stephen Hawking (Cosmos Remixed) stars the words and vocalizations of Carl Sagan with a special guest appearance by Stephen Hawking. So sit back, turn up the volume, and enjoy the electronic vocalizations of Carl Sagan.

FYI: The best music videos are those that appeal to both my musical tastes and my aesthetic values - with a scoop of imagination thrown in.

Tags: cosmos, sagan, video
Posted in Astronomy, Videos | No Comments »

Bookmark it:

Space Art and Astronomy Day

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

Map for Astronomy Day at Harper College

Saturday May 2, the Northwest Suburban Astronomers will be hosting an evening of astronomical activities at Harper College in Palatine IL. Some of what visitors can expect includes:

Telescopes on Display
Access to the Campus Observatory
Astronomy Lectures
Displays and Photographs
Projects for Children

I will be one of the lecturers and I’ll be talking about space art. The title of my presentation is Art and the Exploration of Space. I provided the following description of my talk to the NSA:

Art has been used as a means of visualizing alien worlds and illustrating science fiction magazines. The arrival of the space age provided art with a new purpose: the visualization of the human exploration of space. This presentation provides a historical overview of the evolution of space art and the means by which art has been used to capture and portray humanity’s first steps into the space frontier.

This is an expanded version of a talk I originally gave in 2008 at the International Space Development Conference in Washington D.C.

Note that this Astronomy Day event will be held rain or shine. Most of the activities are inside. If the sky is clear, telescopes will be available for viewing a variety of celestial objects. The event is free and suitable for both adults and children.

Astronomy Day Details
Saturday May 2, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Programs begin on the hour at 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00
The Planetarium Dome admission requires a free ticket available at the information desk

WHERE:
William Rainey Harper College, Building Z
Algonquin Road Entrance, Parking Lots 2 & 3
Palatine, IL

Ad Astra, Jim

Tags: astronomy day, Space Art
Posted in Astronomy, Presentations, Space Art | No Comments »

Bookmark it:

Illinois Senate Battles for Planet Pluto

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

The Dwarf Planet Pluto

The Illinois 96th General Assembly (2009-2010) fresh from demoting Governor Rod Blagojevich to non-governor status is out to balance things out by promoting Pluto back to planetary status. Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997), the man who discovered Pluto on January 23, 1930, was born in Illinois. Up until the time that the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto to a dwarf planet (2006), not only could the United States boast of having a native born planet discoverer but so could Illinois. Being a native Illinoian myself I rather liked that. I even had the honor of meeting Clyde Tombaugh quite a few years ago and have an autographed copy of his book Out of Darkness: The Planet Pluto, co-authored with Patrick Moore.

Up until the International Astronomical Union’s 2006 meeting there had never been a formal definition of just what constituted a planet - it was one of those intuitively obvious things. The discovery of 2003 UB313 was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 2003 UB313 was larger than Pluto! What to do? To declare 2003 UB313 a planet would have opened the door to defining Ceres and other like sized objects as planets. It was felt that there was a need for a new category of objects, with size being just one of the factors. The result was a new class known as dwarf planets, of which there are now five members:

Ceres
Eris (aka 2003 UB313)
Haumea
Makemake
Pluto

In order to reclaim one of Illinois’ claims to fame there is a resolution in the Illinois Senate calling for Pluto to be considered a planet and that March 13, 2009 be declared “Pluto Day” here in Illinois. Following is the resolution that is currently before the Illinois Senate.

SENATE RESOLUTION SR0046 LRB096 04130 KXB 14171 r

WHEREAS, Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto, was born on a farm near the Illinois community of Streator; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Tombaugh served as a researcher at the prestigious Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Tombaugh first detected the presence of Pluto in 1930; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Tombaugh is so far the only Illinoisan and only American to ever discover a planet; and

WHEREAS, For more than 75 years, Pluto was considered the ninth planet of the Solar System; and

WHEREAS, A spacecraft called New Horizons was launched in January 2006 to explore Pluto in the year 2015; and

WHEREAS, Pluto has three moons: Charon, Nix and Hydra; and

WHEREAS, Pluto’s average orbit is more than three billion miles from the sun; and

WHEREAS, Pluto was unfairly downgraded to a “dwarf” planet in a vote in which only 4 percent of the International Astronomical Union’s 10,000 scientists participated; and

WHEREAS, Many respected astronomers believe Pluto’s full planetary status should be restored; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that as Pluto passes overhead through Illinois’ night skies, that it be reestablished with full planetary status, and that March 13, 2009 be declared “Pluto Day” in the State of Illinois in honor of the date its discovery was announced in 1930.

One bit of misleading information is the point that only 4 percent of the IAU’s 10,000 scientists voted. One thing that must be noted is that IAU membership is for life so included in the total membership number are those individuals who are no longer active in either astronomy or the IAU.

Due to the diverse nature of its mission and the different fields of science involved, the IAU is organized into 12 Divisions, 40 Commissions, and 71 Working Groups and Program Groups. The division that deals with planetary science is the Division III Planetary Systems Sciences which has approximately 1,000 members (active and retired).

So while the vote was open to all attending members, only a fraction would have had a direct interest in the outcome of the vote. It is also interesting to note that the outcome of the official vote was similar in proportion to that of a straw poll of Division III Planetary Systems Sciences members that was conducted earlier that day.

I am all in favor of having a “Pluto Day” and acknowledging the accomplishments of Clyde Tombaugh. This is especially appropriate as 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. However when it comes to deciding whether an object is a planet or not, I put my faith in the International Astronomical Union and not Illinois politicians.

About the Pluto Illustration

To create the illustration of Pluto for this post I began with an albedo map taken from a Hubble Space Telescope image. I then created a grayscale texture for the planet’s, oops make that dwarf planet’s surface. I then used hue/saturation and levels adjustment layers to further manipulate the texture and layer styles to fuzz up the dwarf planet’s limb. All work was done using Adobe Photoshop.

If you live in Illinois, I encourage you to contact your state Senator and let them know that you are in favor of honoring Clyde Tombaugh and Pluto but I leave it for you to decide whether to support or oppose the attempt to have Pluto classified as a planet.

Ad Astra, Jim

Posted in Astronomy | 5 Comments »

Bookmark it:

Photoshop for Astronomy

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

The Trifid Nebula Created Using Photoshop User Magazine Tutorial

When I received my July/August copy of Photoshop User magazine I was delighted to see that the cover feature was Photoshop for Astronomy. Subtitled Cosmological Uses of Our Favorite Software the article was written by Dr. Robert Hurt, a visualization scientist for the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope.

In the article Dr Hurt provides a quick and simple introduction to using Photoshop to create astronomical images from FITS data. FITS stands for Flexible Image Transport System and is the standard file format for astronomical images. This goes not just for images obtained in the visible light spectrum but for other areas of the electromagnetic spectrum as well. For example: infrared, ultraviolet, and x-ray.

In addition to working with the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, Dr. Hurt is also a member of the team that developed the FITS Liberator plug-in for Photoshop. This plug-in makes it possible for Photoshop to open FITS files.

I decided to follow the tutorial and create a color image of the Trifid Nebula from the sample files available on the National Association of Photoshop Users web site (available to NAPP members only).

Dr. Hurt’s method for taking the three FITS Trifid Nebula files and combining and processing them in order to create a color picture is different in a few key areas from the method that I use.

To illustrate this blog post I have used the image of the Trifid Nebula that I obtained by following Dr. Hurt’s tutorial. For a more detailed explanation of the tutorial, how it differs from my methodology, and for large versions of both the above image as well as a version I created using my own methods, see my Artsnova article Photoshop for Astronomy: An Introductory Tutorial.

For additional online resources, please see Making Astronomical Art With Your PC Resources which I created in support of an astronomical image processing class I taught at the Adler Planetarium. To learn more about the most recent version of the FITS Liberator plug-in, see New Version of Photoshop FITS Liberator 2.2 Released

Ad Astra, Jim

Posted in Astronomy, Photoshop | 1 Comment »

Bookmark it:

Gallery of Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Trouvelot astronomical illustration: Sonne III

Earlier this evening while doing research for my upcoming presentation on space art at the International Space Development Conference (see Art and the Promotion of Space Exploration), I was looking for information about Ã‰tienne Trouvelot, an astronomical artist active during the 1870’s. Quite to my surprise, I found a small gallery of his art at the New York Public Library web site. The 15 images are all from his book The Trouvelot astronomical drawings published in 1881 by Scribner’s Sons.

Of the images contained in the gallery, my two favorites are Mare Humorum, from a lunar study made in 1875, and The planet Mars, drawn based on observations from September 3, 1877. To view these and the rest of the images, visit New York Public Library’s Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings gallery.

P.S. Trouvelot is perhaps more well known as being the individual responsible for the accidental introduction of the gypsy moth to North America.

Ad Astra, Jim

Posted in Art and Artists, Astronomy, Space Art | No Comments »

Bookmark it:

Astronomy Day

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

Astronomy Day

Yesterday was Astronomy Day. I had been asked to speak at the Astronomy Day event at Harper College in Palatine IL. My presentation was The Universe According to Monty Python in which I spend an hour explaining the lyrics of the two minute long Galaxy Song which was featured in the movie The Meaning of Life.

I must say that for a bunch of comedians they did a pretty good job of getting their astronomy right but they did have professional help. During the course of my talk lots of big numbers get thrown around. As a rule the best laugh comes with my follow up to the line about the sun being the source of all our power where I segue into an explanation of nucleosynthesis. Whereas Carl Sagan looked at the situation through rose colored glasses when he said that we’re all made of “starstuff”, I level with the audience and tell them the truth: that we’re all nothing more than nuclear waste. Folks really seem to like hearing this.

Also, as a rule, people do not raise questions about the astronomical aspects of my talk but do ask questions when the subject turns to cosmology and relativity. To me this is only natural as those concepts are more alien to our everyday experiences and touch on the very nature of the universe.

For contrast, this Tuesday I’ll be giving a talk to all the third graders at a local grade school. My talk is The Solar System in 3D and the kids get to wear geeky red-blue anaglyph glasses. Believe it or not, third graders are a great audience. They are very curious and not at all afraid to ask questions.

Ad Astra, Jim

Posted in Astronomy, Presentations | No Comments »

Bookmark it:

New Version of Photoshop FITS Liberator 2.2 Released

Friday, March 28th, 2008

Photoshop FITS Liberator screen shot

A new version of the free ESA/ESO/NASA FITS Liberator plugin for Photoshop was released earlier this month. This plugin makes it possible to open FITS files with Photoshop. For you Photoshop users who are not familiar with FITS, the Flexible Image Transport System is the standard file format for astronomical data, like that of the Hubble Space Telescope for example. For more FITS information visit my Making Astronomical Art with your PC Resources page which I created for students in the astronomical art class I taught at the Adler Planetarium.

According to the release notes, the following enhancements are in this new release:

Universal Binary for Mac allows native CS3 operation on Intel-based systems
Flip image checkbox allows image orientation to be selected on import
Stretch Root functions now operate antisymmetrically about x=0
Version 1.1 of the Astronomy Visualization Metadata (AVM) standard is fully supported. For more information see http://www.virtualastronomy.org
Improvements to importing coordinate metadata from the FITS header

I went to the version 2.2 download page and downloaded this new version. There is also a Photoshop action called Colour_composite.atn that can be downloaded. This action automates the production of color images from the individual RGB grayscale layers. I’ve never used their action preferring to use one I created myself. I installed the plugin without difficulty. On opening a FITS file (M27 for the curious among you) I observed that the main dialog for this new version was essentially the same with the only modifications being to the Stretch Function dialog (item 3 in the list above) and the addition of a Flip Image option (item 2 in the list above).

You can learn more about the plug-in, how to use, and even get some sample FITS files from the ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator Home Page.

Ad Astra, Jim

Posted in Astronomy, Graphics Software, Photoshop | No Comments »

Bookmark it:

Making Astronomical Art with Your PC

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Mars Global Surveyor Image:
Spring Thaw in Northwestern Planum Australe

Saturday I taught the first of a two part four hour class on astronomical image processing at the Adler Planetarium. The class, No Telescope, No Camera? No Problem: Making Astronomical Art with Your PC covers locating and downloading planetary and astronomical image data from the Internet and then using various image processing techniques to create finished pictures.

The first session covered both the basics of image processing and manipulation with Adobe Photoshop and how to use these techniques to transform raw PDS (Planetary Data System) image files into attractive colorized pictures. An added bonus was that these techniques are also applicable to the processing of images produced by digital cameras. The class consisted of both a lecture component and a demonstration component. Images used during the class were all downloaded from NASA JPL PDS Missions site.

For the demonstration component of the class, I demonstrated the following techniques:

contrast enhancement and colorization of a single Viking Lander image of the Martian surface
combining separate red, green, and blue Viking Lander images in order to produce a color picture while employing the contrast manipulation techniques previously illustrated
combining red and blue filter images from the Mars Global Surveyor Wide Angle Camera and synthesizing a green channel to create a color picture
using a Galileo image of asteroid Gaspra to explain enlarging and sharpening.

For some of the techniques, I showed that there was more than one way to get the job done and that the choice of methods really depended on the picture that was being worked. There was a lot of ground to cover and the class ran longer than its scheduled two hours. In addition to using Photoshop, I used both GIMP (with the PDS plug-in) and NASAView software to demonstrate how to open PDS image files and save them in standard graphics formats.

One of the exercises was to create a color picture of Mars by combining the image data from two Mars Global Surveyor Wide Angle Camera images: one taken using the blue filter, the other using the red filter. A small section of that picture is shown above. For purposes of comparison, you can compare this image with the Spring Thaw in Northwestern Planum Australe version posted on the Malin Space Science Systems web site.

Part two of the class will be held this Saturday and will cover the processing of astronomical images stored in the FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) format. For a list of this and other classes currently available from the Adler Planetarium, visit their classes page.

Posted in Astronomy, Photoshop, Space Art | No Comments »

Bookmark it:

Imaging Mars for Naperville Astronomical Association

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Star Map: Mars at 2:23am CST 11/06/2007

Tomorrow night (Tuesday Nov. 6) I’ll be giving a presentation to the Naperville Astronomical Association. Titled Imaging Mars, the lecture will focus on the processing of raw PDS (Planetary Data System) IMG files in order to create attractive pictures of Mars. For the most part I’ll be using images from the Viking orbiters and Mars Global Surveyor. The work flow for transforming these IMG raw data files into finished images is rather straight forward. Things are a little trickier with the Mars Exploration Rover and Mars Odyssey images. As this is an introductory level presentation, I strive to keep it simple.

This is actually a good time to be talking about Mars as an opposition of Mars is fast approaching. On December 18, Mars will make it’s closest approach to Earth this opposition. At that time, Mars will appear 15.9″ arcseconds in diameter as seen from Earth. Not nearly as good as the opposition of 2003 when its diameter was 25.1″ arcseconds but the best we’ll be treated to until 2016. Thus this is an excellent opportunity to check out your local observatory or astronomy club for the opportunity to get a good look at the red planet.

As to my presentation: the Naperville Astronomical Association meeting begins at 7:00pm and is held in downstairs rooms A-B-C of the Naperville Municipal Center at Aurora Ave. and Eagle St. in downtown Naperville IL.

Ad Astra, Jim

Posted in Astronomy, Mars, Presentations | No Comments »

Bookmark it:

Digital Art and Space Blog
Reflections on Art, Computer Graphics, Photography, Space and Astronomy

Blog Pages

Blog Categories

Archive for the ‘Astronomy’ Category