Numisia crater, Vesta, in black and white and false color

Filed under pretty pictures, explaining image processing, asteroids, asteroid 4 Vesta, Dawn

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Dawn took this image of the crater Numisia on Vesta on July 25, 2011. The view on the left was taken through the camera's clear filter and the false-color version on the right is composed of images through three color filters composed to a false color ratio image.

NASA / JPL / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA

In this false Red-Green-Blue (RGB) color scheme, red is used for the ratio of the brightness at wavelengths of 750 nanometers to the brightness at 440 nanometers, green is used for the ratio to the brightness of 750 nanometers to 920 nanometers and blue is used for the ratio to the brightness at 440 nanometers to 750 nanometers. Red-blue tones capture the visible continuum and green tones capture the relative strength of the ferrous absorption band at 1 micron. The images have a resolution of about 490 meters per pixel.