Why do nebulae typically appear gray or whitish to the human eye through a standard telescope?
Answer
The light intensity is too low to stimulate the eye's color-sensing cones
Distant nebulae emit incredibly faint light, which is insufficient to activate the color-sensing cones. Instead, the highly sensitive rods, which function for low-light, black-and-white vision, register the light, causing the object to appear gray or white.
#Videos
Understanding Nebulae And Their Colors - YouTube
Related Questions
What process generates the light (photons) emitted by atoms in nebulae?What does analyzing an emission spectrum allow astronomers to determine about a distant cloud?Which element primarily produces the deep red color characteristic of many emission nebulae via the H$ ext{alpha}$ transition?What element's forbidden transition is typically responsible for the green or teal hues seen in emission nebulae?Why do nebulae typically appear gray or whitish to the human eye through a standard telescope?What is the fundamental difference between Natural Color Images ($ ext{LRGB}$) and False Color Images ($ ext{SHO}$) processing?In the Hubble Palette ($ ext{SHO}$), which element's emission is mapped to the Blue channel?What does the use of brackets, such as $[ ext{OIII}]$, signify in astronomical notation for emission lines in nebulae?Why might a 'natural color' ($ ext{LRGB}$) image of an emission nebula look almost entirely red?Which type of nebula is mentioned as potentially showing hints of distinct color visually under good conditions?