Picturing the cosmos: Hubble Space Telescope images and the astronomical sublime
(Book)
"The vivid, dramatic images of distant stars and galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope have come to define how we visualize the cosmos. ... But their brilliant hues and precise details are not simply products of the telescope's unprecedented orbital location and technologically advanced optical system. Rather, they result from a series of deliberate decisions made by the astronomers who convert raw data from the Hubble into spectacular pictures by assigning colors, adjusting contrast, and actively composing the images, balancing the desire for an aesthetically pleasing representation with the need for a scientifically valid one. ... Kessler examines the Hubble's deep space images, highlighting the remarkable resemblance they bear to nineteenth-century paintings and photographs of the American West and their invocation of the visual language of the sublime. Drawing on art history and the history of science, as well as interviews with astronomers who work on the Hubble Heritage Project, Kessler traces the ways that the sublime, with its inherent tension between reason and imagination, not only forms the appearance of the images, but also operates on other levels. The sublime informs the dual expression--numeric and pictorial--of digital data and underpins the relevance of the frontier for a new era of exploration performed by our instruments rather than our bodies. Through their engagement with the sublime the Hubble images are a complex act of translation that encourages an experience of the universe as simultaneously beyond humanity's grasp and within the reach of our knowledge. Strikingly illustrated with full-color images, this book reveals the scientific, aesthetic, and cultural significance of the Hubble pictures, offering a nuanced understanding of how they shape our ideas--and dreams--about the cosmos and our places within it."--
Notes
Kessler, E. A. (2012). Picturing the cosmos: Hubble Space Telescope images and the astronomical sublime. Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Kessler, Elizabeth A.. 2012. Picturing the Cosmos: Hubble Space Telescope Images and the Astronomical Sublime. Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Kessler, Elizabeth A., Picturing the Cosmos: Hubble Space Telescope Images and the Astronomical Sublime. Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota Press, 2012.
MLA Citation (style guide)Kessler, Elizabeth A.. Picturing the Cosmos: Hubble Space Telescope Images and the Astronomical Sublime. Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota Press, 2012.
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Mar 22, 2024 07:30:07 PM |
---|---|
Last File Modification Time | Mar 22, 2024 07:30:26 PM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Mar 22, 2024 07:30:13 PM |
MARC Record
LEADER | 04464cam a2200541 i 4500 | ||
---|---|---|---|
001 | 788272995 | ||
003 | OCoLC | ||
005 | 20130221133329.0 | ||
008 | 120718t20122012mnua b s001 0 eng | ||
010 | |a 2012020744 | ||
016 | 7 | |a 016162504|2 Uk | |
020 | |a 9780816679560 (hardback) | ||
020 | |a 0816679568 (hardback) | ||
020 | |a 9780816679577 (paperback) | ||
020 | |a 0816679576 (paperback) | ||
035 | |a (OCoLC)788272995 | ||
039 | |a 332078|c TLC | ||
040 | |a DLC|b eng|e rda|c DLC|d YDX|d BTCTA|d YDXCP|d OCLCO|d UKMGB|d PGC|d ABG|d BWX|d CDX|d ORX|d COO|d STF|d CAA | ||
042 | |a pcc | ||
049 | |a CAAA | ||
050 | 0 | 0 | |a QB857|b .K47 2012 |
082 | 0 | 0 | |a 520|2 23 |
084 | |a PHO000000|2 bisacsh | ||
100 | 1 | |a Kessler, Elizabeth A.,|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2012046291|e author. | |
245 | 1 | 0 | |a Picturing the cosmos :|b Hubble Space Telescope images and the astronomical sublime /|c Elizabeth A. Kessler. |
264 | 1 | |a Minneapolis, MN :|b University of Minnesota Press,|c [2012] | |
300 | |a 279 pages :|b color illustrations ;|c 23 cm | ||
336 | |a text|2 rdacontent | ||
336 | |a still image|2 rdacontent | ||
337 | |a unmediated|2 rdamedia | ||
338 | |a volume|2 rdacarrier | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-266) and index. | ||
505 | 0 | |a Astronomy's romantic landscapes -- The astronomical sublime and the American West -- Ambivalent astronomers and the embrace of Hubble images -- Translating data into pretty pictures -- From unknown frontiers to familiar places -- A very distant and peaceful star. | |
520 | |a "The vivid, dramatic images of distant stars and galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope have come to define how we visualize the cosmos. ... But their brilliant hues and precise details are not simply products of the telescope's unprecedented orbital location and technologically advanced optical system. Rather, they result from a series of deliberate decisions made by the astronomers who convert raw data from the Hubble into spectacular pictures by assigning colors, adjusting contrast, and actively composing the images, balancing the desire for an aesthetically pleasing representation with the need for a scientifically valid one. ... Kessler examines the Hubble's deep space images, highlighting the remarkable resemblance they bear to nineteenth-century paintings and photographs of the American West and their invocation of the visual language of the sublime. Drawing on art history and the history of science, as well as interviews with astronomers who work on the Hubble Heritage Project, Kessler traces the ways that the sublime, with its inherent tension between reason and imagination, not only forms the appearance of the images, but also operates on other levels. The sublime informs the dual expression--numeric and pictorial--of digital data and underpins the relevance of the frontier for a new era of exploration performed by our instruments rather than our bodies. Through their engagement with the sublime the Hubble images are a complex act of translation that encourages an experience of the universe as simultaneously beyond humanity's grasp and within the reach of our knowledge. Strikingly illustrated with full-color images, this book reveals the scientific, aesthetic, and cultural significance of the Hubble pictures, offering a nuanced understanding of how they shape our ideas--and dreams--about the cosmos and our places within it."--|c Provided by publisher. | ||
610 | 2 | 0 | |a Hubble Space Telescope (Spacecraft)|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91011423 |
650 | 0 | |a Galaxies|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85052763|v Pictorial works.|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh99001272 | |
650 | 0 | |a Stars|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85127415|v Pictorial works.|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh99001272 | |
650 | 0 | |a Sublime, The, in art.|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh97001518 | |
655 | 7 | |a Illustrated works.|2 lcgft|0 https://id.loc.gov/authorities/genreForms/gf2014026111 | |
907 | |a .b64108533 | ||
948 | |a MARCIVE Comprehensive, in 2023.02 | ||
948 | |a MARCIVE Over, 05/2021 | ||
989 | |1 .i137485025|b 190801775320|d aigci|g -|m |h 1|x 1|t 0|i 0|j 333|k 210430|n 03-07-2023 20:08|o -|a QB857|r .K47 2012 | ||
994 | |a 02|b CAA | ||
995 | |a Loaded with m2btab.ltiac in 2023.02 | ||
995 | |a Loaded with m2btab.ltiac in 2021.05 | ||
995 | |a Loaded with m2btab.migrate in 2021.04 | ||
998 | |e -|f eng|a ai |