Coloring the Universe

Book excerpt: With a fleet of telescopes in space and giant observatories on the ground, professional astronomers produce hundreds of spectacular images of space every year. These colorful pictures have become infused into popular culture; we find them on billboards, in commercials, and on our computers. But they also invite questions: Is this what outer space really looks like? Are the colors real? How are these images made? "Coloring the Universe" uses accessible language to describe how these giant telescopes work, what scientists learn with them, and how they are used to make color images. Both informative and beautiful, this book is filled with brilliant images of deep space as well as an insider s perspective by the people who make them."