Nearly everything we know in astronomy comes from the light we receive from astronomical objects. Fortunately, that light provides a wealth of information.

The Vera C. Rubin LSST Camera is the most sensitive camera ever built for astrophysics and uses six filters to observe the Universe from ultraviolet through infrared wavelengths. Color pictures are assembled from images obtained through these filters. To the casual observer, they may simply look pleasing, but to those skilled at interpreting them, they provide valuable scientific insight.

This investigation combines science, technology, and human creativity (STEAM). It familiarizes students with the function and benefits of filters, the technology of digital imaging, and teaches how to construct chromatically-correct color images that tell a scientific story.

Prerequisite Concept

Students can recognize and order different types of electromagnetic radiation by their relative frequencies and wavelengths.

Learning Outcomes

• Students use a filter tool to determine some wavelengths of light are blocked by a filter while others are transmitted.

• Students create and use a chromatically-ordered image to demonstrate how data is visualized.

• Students plan and carry out an investigation to create and use a chromatically-ordered image to communicate a scientific idea.

Essential Questions

• How are filters used to create color images?

• How are filters used to conduct astronomical research?

• How is color used to communicate scientific phenomena?