“But Are the Colors Real?” – The manifold layers of astronomical images
Claudia Mignone
research: Seminar
“But Are the Colors Real?” – The manifold layers of astronomical images
Claudia Mignone
The seminar, led by astronomer and science communicator Claudia Mignone, aims to explore the making of colour images depicting celestial bodies.
In today’s image-dominated digital landscape, astronomical images enjoy a very fortunate reputation thanks to the fascination enticed by the cosmic subjects they depict. For science visualization purposes, astronomical images are processed via a layering technique that allows multiple data sets to be combined into a color image. This is however not readily known by the non-expert public, often eliciting questions on how such images are created, for example during public talks, in online forums and on social media. These questions indicate a genuine curiosity by the general and interested public to understand science at a
deeper level, providing an opportunity for public engagement, not just to delve into the physical processes behind the astronomical objects depicted in the images, but even further, to explain how digital images are made, thus promoting data literacy “through the backdoor”.
The author investigates the public perception of astronomical images and raw data artefacts. How do we, as humans, picture the immensity of the universe? Does it become easier to grasp these concepts when members of the public can enjoy a direct involvement in the processing of images from outer space?
The lecture will be structured in two parts: the first will present the state of the art in the field of astronomical image processing for public consumption. In the second part, the author will discuss artwork from the ongoing research project 'In Praise of Raw Data', exploring sustainable printing techniques for astronomical images together with artist Dr. Melanie King, as well as results from image processing workshops conducted with secondary school students in Italy, as well as teenagers and adults from a favela in Brazil.
Biography
Claudia Mignone
Claudia Mignone is an astronomer and science communicator at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Rome. She holds an astronomy degree from the University of Bologna, a Ph.D. in cosmology from the University of Heidelberg, and a Master’s in science communication from the University of Ferrara. After studying the universe on the largest scales, she decided to engage full time in science communication, sharing the wonders of astronomy with the public. Prior to her return to Italy, she worked for ten years in the Netherlands communicating the European Space Agency’s science missions, including Rosetta, Gaia, Planck, and many more. One of the most fun projects she worked on was co-authoring the cartoon series "Once upon a time" about Rosetta and Philae's adventures at comet 67P. She is passionate about informal science learning and social justice, and researches new approaches to scientific narrative and unconventional outreach opportunities for astronomy.
research: seminar
“But Are the Colors Real?” – The manifold layers of astronomical images
Claudia Mignone
The seminar, led by astronomer and science communicator Claudia Mignone, aims to explore the making of colour images depicting celestial bodies.
In today’s image-dominated digital landscape, astronomical images enjoy a very fortunate reputation thanks to the fascination enticed by the cosmic subjects they depict. For science visualization purposes, astronomical images are processed via a layering technique that allows multiple data sets to be combined into a color image. This is however not readily known by the non-expert public, often eliciting questions on how such images are created, for example during public talks, in online forums and on social media. These questions indicate a genuine curiosity by the general and interested public to understand science at a
deeper level, providing an opportunity for public engagement, not just to delve into the physical processes behind the astronomical objects depicted in the images, but even further, to explain how digital images are made, thus promoting data literacy “through the backdoor”.
The author investigates the public perception of astronomical images and raw data artefacts. How do we, as humans, picture the immensity of the universe? Does it become easier to grasp these concepts when members of the public can enjoy a direct involvement in the processing of images from outer space?
The lecture will be structured in two parts: the first will present the state of the art in the field of astronomical image processing for public consumption. In the second part, the author will discuss artwork from the ongoing research project 'In Praise of Raw Data', exploring sustainable printing techniques for astronomical images together with artist Dr. Melanie King, as well as results from image processing workshops conducted with secondary school students in Italy, as well as teenagers and adults from a favela in Brazil.
Aula Seminari
Università degli Studi di Milano
Via Santa Sofia, 9
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