“Orbiting the Earth for over two decades, Hubble has helped to answer some of the most compelling astronomical questions of our time — and uncovered mysteries we never knew existed. Investigating everything from black holes to planets around other stars, Hubble has changed the face of astronomy, ushering in a new chapter of humanity’s exploration of the universe.” — from Hubble’s Top Breakthroughs at HubbleSite.org

For decades, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided the raw image data that has given us some of the most spectacular views of space, views that we were previously unable to witness.

Before these images are unveiled to the public, the data is processed to adjust for characteristics like color, contrast, and saturation. Although the data is commonly accessed by professional astronomers, it is available to anyone who is interested in exploring the Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA), which is where this data is made available online.

Hubble Hangouts is a Hubble Telescope-themed program developed to engage the public in astronomy. The inaugural episode, called “Exploring Hubble Data Yourself,” is an orientation to the HLA. When you watch the episode you will learn how to access and explore Hubble Space Telescope raw image data.

But the vastness of the universe might make it difficult to decide where to begin exploring. Fortunately, we’re provided with a starting point. This Hubble Hangout features Dr. Brad Whitmore, an astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute — the astronomy research center, along with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, responsible for operating Hubble. During the Hangout, he teaches about galaxy mergers and explores and processes images of the Antennae Galaxies — two galaxies that are currently colliding and merging into one.

When viewing raw images, processing is important because adjusting image characteristics helps bring out valuable details. For example, since galaxy mergers lead to a considerable amount of star formation, you might decide to process a galaxy merger image in a way that would make the stars easier to see. To do that, you could increase the contrast to make dark parts of an image even darker in order to better view those young stars. The HLA’s Interactive Display, which Dr. Whitmore refers to as “the heart of HLA” directs users to Advanced Contrast Controls where you can process the images without having to download very large raw data files and do complex photo editing.

Once you immerse yourself in HLA image data and begin to process the images using these tools, you can save your work as JPEG files.

The HLA gives us the opportunity to explore the cosmos from our own computers, providing direct access to powerful Hubble Space Telescope data. The informative “Exploring Hubble Data Yourself” Hubble Hangout demystifies the steps you need to process these images and make them part of your own collection.