Galaxies, nebula, and what they look like

[brakeb]

What I wonder is that if we were near say "The Large Magellanic Cloud", what would it look like to the naked eye? Would we see the bright blues, oranges, pinks, and greens that we see in the pictures from magazines or Hubble website, or would it be nothing more than the blackness of space, but with a thicker area where a bunch of gases have built up. Would we even know we were flying into the nebula? or would our experience be similar to what we see during sunrise/sunset, where we can see the scattering of light through the atmosphere...

 

I've been lurking for a while, but this question finally got me to register... This is a great site!

 

Bryan Brake

[StringJunky]

The vast majority of astronomical images that show colour are as a result of the type of image detector/filter used which are sensitive to particular frequency bands and post-capture processing. Colour images of the large megallanic cloud, for example, are most likely composites of several different types of image overlaid on each other. Scientists use colour techniques as an aid to differentiate and observe the distribution of electromagnetic emissions, elements and compounds in astronomical phenomena.

 

Here's an example of how they can be put together:

 

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/black-hole-collision/

 

In a nutsell, no we most likely wouldn't, in most cases, see images like that with our own eyes.

Edited May 21, 2010 by StringJunky

[brakeb]

That is what I assumed... kind of a let down considering what sci-fi does to you... the viewscreen and "stock" images on Star Trek...

 

So, would we suffer from effects of extra friction in a nebula? I realize they are quite vast, but would we have issues with gravity? And how do the gases in the area (hydrogen, etc) not burn up...?

 

 

thanks for the info...

[StringJunky]

I suspect alot of budding astronomers are initially very disappointed as well with their first naked eye views through their shiny new expensive telescopes....nothing like in the astro mags at all.

 

You need three factors present for something to burn: fuel. oxygen (or similar), ignition...one or more of those factors is obviously missing in the necessary amounts....apart from the fact it's also rather cold out there! (-270 Deg C approx.) and hydrogen's boiling point is -252 Deg C. and oxygen's boiling point is -182 Deg C. I'm sure there is other factors as well that somebody else might chime in.

[Nano]

And how do the gases in the area (hydrogen, etc) not burn up...?

 

Burning is just a prosess where concentrated heat make some initial ingrediences change into something else. Hydrogenon on it's own will not burn until you get 10^7 Kelvin (right?), and that is also a different kind of burning. Nebulas are far far away from those kind of temperatures, and therefore does not the helium burn.