Do they really think this is better than the original?

NIST claims that a newly developed de-blur technique has improved
the Tadpole Galaxy image from HST:

http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/t..._1207.htm#apex

Look what APEX has done to the nucleus! All the've done is make
the noise more visible....

Sam Wormley wrote:
Whether the APEX processing is a improvement or not, depends on
the information one is trying to extract from the original image
data.

http://patapsco.nist.gov/ImageGaller...fileformat=jpg

Comparing the two images, I see only a tiny bit of sharpening in the
result, if at all. Rather it looks far more like contrast enhancement.

Greg

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
Observing: http://www.skyhound.com/sh/skyhound.html
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To reply take out your eye

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 06:19:52 GMT, "Mick" wrote:

NIST claims that a newly developed de-blur technique has improved
the Tadpole Galaxy image from HST:

http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/t..._1207.htm#apex

Look what APEX has done to the nucleus! All the've done is make
the noise more visible....

For the most part, the intent behind HST images isn't aesthetics.
Certainly, the sharpened image enhances many structural details.

All sharpening algorithms enhance noise. If you are studying a specific
object, you will normally apply a variety of filters to the image. Each
will help you tease out otherwise unseen details. Most of those images
that you are studying will be unaesthetic.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com