2h ago
inMy capture of the Veil Nebula looked nothing like the surreal hues dominating recent feeds
Yeah, and it's getting to the point where these neon versions are what beginners expect to see, which totally skews their understanding of actual nebula composition. Like, I've seen the Orion Nebula processed with pinks and cyans that have no basis in its hydrogen and oxygen emissions. When we prioritize aesthetic over accuracy, we're basically teaching people that space is a cartoon instead of a complex physical reality. Tools like Photoshop make it easy to push sliders into fantasy territory, but then what's the point of calling it astrophotography? Part of me wonders if we're losing the educational value that used to hook people into the hobby.