Space doesn't look like that

This new space photo from the James Webb Space telescope is stunning, but that’s not what space really looks like. Here's how scientists help show us all the beauty that our eyes alone can't see...

Ask questions about science and technology, and follow for answers!

#shorts #space #sciencefacts #hugeiftrue #jameswebbspacetelescope #jwst

[aarontuplin]

"You wouldn't be able to see it with your naked eye"
me: *stops building rocketship*

[desilstm]

Tbh, even in visible light, the universe is stunning.

[HarshaVardhan-xxii]

Some people take six months of science classes in school and still don't understand what you said in this short video. Great work Cleo

[Prospero]

I’m glad she took it to heart to speak slightly slower. It’s more calm and easier to understand.

[ChemEDan]

Me: Are we there yet?
Jwst: Getting warmer.

[astronemir]

Snakes with infrared vision be like: wtf, it doesn't look like that?

[Kell_M]

So in other words space actually DOES look like that, but our eyes can only see some of the colors, not all...

[rasputin]

You have no idea how unbelievably depressed I was, as a child, to learn the Milky Way, doesn’t look like that in person. 😂

[CleoAbram]

I'm an independent video journalist who tells optimistic stories about tech/science. ask questions and I'll try to respond with answers!

[AnonymousFreakYT]

Another thing I think is wild is that these nebula "space clouds" are *RIDICULOUSLY* thin/un-dense. They are far less dense than even the atmosphere of the moon (yes, the moon has an atmosphere, and it is super-thin.) If you were on a planet INSIDE one of these nebulae, you probably wouldn't even know you were in a nebula at all. The material is so thin, that up close it's nearly invisible. It isn't like the "space clouds with lightning" of sci-fi.

If they were as thick as sci-fi makes them look, they would have enough mass to coalesce into a star or planet very rapidly (that's how stars form - these tiny amounts of gas slowly do coalesce until they form a star. But this takes millions of years. If they were as dense as Earth clouds, it would happen in a matter of months/years.)

[falsettoandhighnotes]

I didn't know that Natalie Portman knew so much about space!

[Dr.K.]

Outstanding explanation!!! Most people see an astronomic photo like that and just dismiss it, and say "fake". But yes, not fake, just translated. Thank you!!

[Exen]

You’re telling me we’re blind af? And 90% of reality just swoops by without us even noticing? Damn

[jinjo]

I always imagined space would be as dark as your bedroom at night, you reach your arms out and don't see a thing

[LordBackuro]

Imagine if humans in the future could see in a greater light spectrum

That be so cool.

[bananian]

It's like those postcards that show how beautiful Vancouver is and then you go to Downtown East side.

[AnonymousFreakYT]

One big thing is that this "assigning colors" isn't done for aesthetics by the scientists, it's done to allow scientists to identify information quickly and easily. It's why many of the pictures have garish/clashing colors - it's easy to distinguish!

There are amateurs that take the raw data and assign visible-wavelengths to the different photographed-wavelengths for the purpose of making "pretty pictures that look vaguely like it would look to the naked eye" though.

[Ughfhdushagsggs]

The musical transposition analogy is great actually. If there was a song too high or low for us to hear but still recordable you could technically transpose for us to be heard. However we would never know what it’s like to perceive the original sound.

[thatguynich]

So I always knew that the images were colored but I never considered that we wouldn't even be able to see it if we were there. That's totally new to me.

[simplyepic]

You actually would be able to see them. They'd just be magenta. Nowhere near as contrasted and colorful as the false color images.