Have you ever wondered how those space telescopes, like the Hubble, capture such stunning images of all the wonders the Universe holds?

Video series PBS Off Book thoughtfully interviewed astronomers and scientists about how it’s done and why these images are so important in the grand scheme of human society and knowledge. Spoiler alert: It’s because they’re so dang pretty.

The video above features Emily Rice of the American Museum of Natural History, Zolt Levay from the Space Telescope Science Institute and David Hogg of New York University. You'll also get to see a bunch of really awesome images from NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Image courtesy of NASA, JPL-Caltech, Kate Su (Steward Obs., U. Arizona), et al.

This article originally published at Geekosystem here