AAS 207th Meeting, 8-12 January 2006
Session 67 Reaching Out with Observatories, Planeteria and Activities
Poster, Tuesday, 9:20am-6:30pm, January 10, 2006, Exhibit Hall

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[67.04] Science & Art in Motion: Visualizing the X-ray Universe

A. J. Hobart, K. K. Arcand, P. D. Edmonds, W. H. Tucker (CXC)

Since its launch in 1999, the Chandra X-ray Observatory has probed regions around black holes, traced the debris of exploded stars, and helped to elucidate the formation of galaxy clusters, the largest bound structures in the Universe. Conveying Chandra’s exciting, though often complicated, high-energy results to the public and the media poses certain visual challenges, such as photon-starved observational data, spectra, and esoteric concepts. This poster will demonstrate some of the techniques developed to present visuals by way of motion graphics in X-ray astronomy. Some tricks of the trade will be highlighted, including establishing texture libraries, using particle or paint effects, and modeling stock objects. Topics unique to animating scientific concepts for public consumption will also be discussed, such as addressing public perception versus scientists' findings, keeping a high standard of accuracy while leaving room for visual excitement, communicating with scientists for revisions, and creative ways to interact with and educate the public.

Developed with funding from NASA under Contract NAS8-39073.


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