What is the primary scientific purpose behind presenting Hubble images as false-color representations?

Answer

Making the invisible visible and scientifically legible

The fundamental motivation for employing false-color techniques in capturing and processing images from instruments like Hubble is rooted in scientific necessity rather than aesthetics. Many critical astronomical observations involve collecting light outside the human visual range (like UV or IR), which the eye cannot register at all. By translating these non-visible intensity maps into corresponding visible colors (red, green, blue), scientists convert complex data about energy levels, elemental composition, and structure into a visual format that is immediately comprehensible and scientifically legible, allowing for the identification and study of previously invisible cosmic processes.

What is the primary scientific purpose behind presenting Hubble images as false-color representations?

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How are Hubble Space Telescope images 'colorized' and processed?

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