Astronomy pros reveal the making of deep-space images

November 6, 2015

University Relations

The University of Alaska Press has released “Coloring the Universe: An Insider’s Look at Making Spectacular Images of Space,” by Travis A. Rector, Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke.

With a fleet of telescopes in space and giant observatories on the ground, professional astronomers produce hundreds of spectacular images of space every year. But those images invite questions: Is this what space really looks like? Are the colors real? How are these images made?

"Coloring the Universe" uses accessible language to describe how these giant telescopes work, what scientists learn with them and how they are used to make color images. Both informative and beautiful, the book is filled with brilliant images of deep space and an insider’s perspective from the people who make them.

Rector is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He has created over 200 images with the giant telescopes at Gemini Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and others. Arcand directs visualization efforts for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Watzke is the public affairs officer for the observatory.

For more information about this title and many more, please visit www.uapress.alaska.edu or call 800-621-2736.