The seven pictures below depict galaxy NGC 1512 in different kinds of light. Note how the individual images differ in appearance.		 Light & Filters



NGC 1512 - b/wNGC 1512 - b/wNGC 1512 - b/wNGC 1512 - b/wNGC 1512 - b/wNGC 1512 - b/wNGC 1512 - b/w
filters
spectrum
UV, visible, IR light



Colored-Glass Window

A colored-glass window allows only its particular color of light to pass through — it filters out the other colors of the spectrum. Hubble's filters work the same way, allowing only a specific color of light to pass through.

 colored glass window

 

Light from astronomical objects comes in a wide range of colors, each corresponding to a particular kind of electromagnetic wave. Hubble can detect all the visible wavelengths of light plus many more that are invisible to human eyes, such as ultraviolet and infrared light.

Astronomical objects often look different in these different wavelengths of light. To record what an object looks like at a certain wavelength, Hubble uses special filters that allow only a certain range of light wavelengths through. Once the unwanted light has been filtered out, the remaining light is recorded.

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