Talk:Wide Field Camera 3

Was the IR channel really designed to replace NICMOS
Article says the IR channel was designed to largely replace NICMOS. Is there a source that says this ? To what extent does it replace NICMOS, and when during development of WFC3 was this intention stated ? (was it when NICMOS first ran out of coolant, or after the cryocooler failed ?) - Rod57 (talk) 21:12, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

What was the budget for WFC3 and what did it cost ?
What was the budget for WFC3 and what did it cost ? - Rod57 (talk) 21:18, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

Color
How faithfully do photos from it represent color as seen by us humans? For instance, this photo. Does it depend on what filters are used or something? Eric Kvaalen (talk) 06:24, 16 November 2021 (UTC)


 * Yes. The color you see depends on what the processors do with the various wavelengths. Astronmical cameras are not a trichromatic color camera, like the one I use to make pictures of buildings for Wikipedia articles. They are monochrome cameras with several different filters. The filters are made for scientific purposes, most of them having a much narrower bandwidth than the trichromatic filters built into my camera. They are designed to collect information that can best be used to understand the processes going on in the universe. The pretty pictures you see in articles like this one are not the kind made for scientific work. They are specially made for a lay audience, with colors chosen for that audience.


 * To make those pretty pictures, the photofinishing people lump together selected wavelengths so they can simulate the operation of my snapshot camera or of the human eye, which my camera is made to simulate, not completely accurately. They will usually include information about what kind of processing they have done. The photos make their way through various publishing routes, and editors along the way may choose to include or omit those details. Usually, by the time the picture gets into Wikimedia Commons, which among other things is the picture bureau of Wikipedia, those descriptions are absent, as they aren't much use to people who know nothing of astrophysics. Maybe we should make an effort to find all the details but as a Wikimedia Commons picture handler myself, I've already given myself a big enough workload. Jim.henderson (talk) 03:09, 19 November 2021 (UTC)