What characterizes an Artist's Conception image of the Milky Way?
Answer
Colors and shapes are educated guesses based on known distribution.
Artist's Conceptions of the Milky Way are distinct visualizations characterized by being illustrations where the specific colors assigned to features and the exact contours of the spiral arms are educated guesses. These guesses are based on the known, underlying distribution data related to gas, dust, and star populations derived from various scientific measurements. Unlike data-driven composites which rely on overlaying measured data, these concepts are visualizations of the mathematical model itself, rather than direct captures of observational data.
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