What essential function does long-exposure photography serve when imaging faint nebulae?

Answer

It allows the sensor to accumulate enough photons to resolve structure invisible to real-time human vision

The camera's extended integration time gathers light over minutes or hours, accumulating photons from dim regions necessary to reveal color and fine structure that the eye cannot perceive instantly.

What essential function does long-exposure photography serve when imaging faint nebulae?

#Videos

Nebulae: Crash Course Astronomy #36 - YouTube

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