Painted by Light

S1 E2: The universe paints pictures with light, so to understand what a Hubble picture can reveal about the universe, it’s necessary to understand how light is emitted, absorbed and reflected by stars, gas and dust. Light can even echo like sound, illuminating different parts of a dust cloud at different times. These simple physical processes give rise to a great variety and complexity among Hubble images and lead to views of astounding beauty. Masterpiece – This is the best look HDTV can provide at the single largest and best Hubble image ever acquired, the giant mosaic of the Orion Nebula. It’s the nearest star-forming region, a place where stars and planets are being born before our eyes. Two large views elaborate the science within this dazzling image. The first is the Hubble image; the second is a composite with infrared data from the Spitzer space telescope.