Are you sure you want to go down the EA route?

Hello, I would have liked to make a suggestion: it is related to the fact that the nebulae seen in Space Engine are not so close to reality as they should be.

A key element that is very important in the interpretation of what we see in reality is the [u]vision of colors[/u]. Indeed, a nebula has a composition defined in various [u]gases[/u], determining the [u]visible colors[/u]. But if the colors are visible on Space Engine explicitly, this is not the case of reality. The photographs are taken in different [u]wavelengths corresponding to various elements[/u] such as oxygen or hydrogen. But to the naked eye, [u]we can only observe shades of gray[/u].

It should be taken into account and implemented as an option.

So tell me what do you think about it

Theloic971 wrote:

Hello, I would have liked to make a suggestion: it is related to the fact that the nebulae seen in Space Engine are not so close to reality as they should be.

A key element that is very important in the interpretation of what we see in reality is the vision of colors. Indeed, a nebula has a composition defined in various gases, determining the visible colors. But if the colors are visible on Space Engine explicitly, this is not the case of reality. The photographs are taken in different wavelengths corresponding to various elements such as oxygen or hydrogen. But to the naked eye, we can only observe shades of gray.

It should be taken into account and implemented as an option.

So tell me what do you think about it

First and foremost, it is important to note that SE generally simulates a camera, not the human eye (and a good thing too, as human vision is not sensitive enough to see many of the things it's possible to view in SE).

The human eye can only perceive shades of gray (if anything at all) for nebulae because human photopic vision (color vision) is only sensitive to relatively bright light, while human scotopic vision (grayscale vision) is sensitive to dimmer light - this is why dim stars appear gray to the eye, while bright stars are often visibly red or blue. It has nothing to do with the intrinsic emission or reflection spectra of the nebulae, but rather a limitation of the human eye. Cameras do not have this limitation.

And yes, while some commonly-circulated images of nebulae have color channels assigned to specific narrow wavelengths, there are plenty of other images, especially from amateur astrophotographers, which show the true color of nebulae via RGB or LRGB images. Nebulae in SE are usually based on these colors.

As an illustration, here's a false color image (top) and true color image (bottom) of the Trifid Nebula:

Theloic971 wrote:

Hello, I would have liked to make a suggestion: it is related to the fact that the nebulae seen in Space Engine are not so close to reality as they should be.

A key element that is very important in the interpretation of what we see in reality is the vision of colors. Indeed, a nebula has a composition defined in various gases, determining the visible colors. But if the colors are visible on Space Engine explicitly, this is not the case of reality. The photographs are taken in different wavelengths corresponding to various elements such as oxygen or hydrogen. But to the naked eye, we can only observe shades of gray.

It should be taken into account and implemented as an option.

So tell me what do you think about it

I swear that when looking at the Orion Nebula through a telescope it is very slightly blue. 

stongduke wrote:

Source of the post I swear that when looking at the Orion Nebula through a telescope it is very slightly blue.

It is due to the magnification of your lens, colors your eyes naturally pick-up (as Harbinger pointed out above)  and the light such diffuse nebula scatter. Greater magnification, a larger telescopic mirror and different filters will exaggerate certain colors enough for you to see, such as the blues made by the massive young stars within the nebulae.

Zoliparia wrote:

Are you sure you want to go down the EA route?

I wasn't aware that EA was granting a license for commercial use through DLC sells.

Stellarator wrote:

stongduke wrote:

Source of the post I swear that when looking at the Orion Nebula through a telescope it is very slightly blue.

It is due to the magnification of your lens, colors your eyes naturally pick-up (as Harbinger pointed out above)  and the light such diffuse nebula scatter. Greater magnification, a larger telescopic mirror and different filters will exaggerate certain colors enough for you to see, such as the blues made by the massive young stars within the nebulae.

when I took photos of it, it mainly came up green/blue with only the very outer parts pink.  I thought that was odd given what most photos show it as pink throughout.

The galaxies look beautiful!

I wonder if star and galaxy motions will ever be implemented :P

vlad01 wrote:

Source of the post when I took photos of it, it mainly came up green/blue with only the very outer parts pink.  I thought that was odd given what most photos show it as pink throughout.

The outermost part is mostly blue while the inner part is mostly pink, though some blue can be found near the heart of the nebula. But it depends on how much of the nebula you capture in your photo.

Anyway, this is off topic.

I wonder if the "Pro" version would be beneficial for people not intending to make commercial use of the software?  What if we are just posting screenshots to our blogs and social media (which would actually help garner more publicity and sales?)

I'm thinking that Standard version would be ~ 20 and Pro would be ~ 50 though not sure.  Can both be bought through the Steam Application and will both have an unlimited license (meaning once you buy either you will have all future versions for free?)  I searched for Space Engine after downloading the application and all I came up with was Space Engineer.

Also, for the person who wants the nebulae to be more "realistic"- they ARE realistic!  Normal cameras capture them with those colors too!  Just take a look at the "Cloudy Nights" website!  And in addition to that, you need to take into account that we only see them in grayscale or only faint traces of color because of the tremendous distances, if we were floating in space close to the nebula we would see them in vivid colors!  Thats why I look for procedural planets in the LMC and SMC- I want to see what the Milky Way would look like from just outside of it!  I'm sure the Orion Nebula would also be vivid on a planet that was near the nebula!

SpaceEngine 0.990 is coming real soon

I'm excited to see what the steam statistics will be for space engine, like ratings and initial purchases and trend. Also I will definitely be buying the dlcs whether I need it or not.

A-L-E-X wrote:

Source of the post I'm thinking that Standard version would be ~ 20 and Pro would be ~ 50 though not sure.  Can both be bought through the Steam Application and will both have an unlimited license (meaning once you buy either you will have all future versions for free?)  I searched for Space Engine after downloading the application and all I came up with was Space Engineer.

You are correct. Regular license does not allow to use SE in commercial purpose, it will be the same as 0.980 had. If you want to make monetized videos, create content for you project, and like what - then the Pro DLC is for you.

Great news! It seems the release is really close now.


@SpaceEngineer I'm the guy who created the trailer/teaser for SE 0980 which you use on your website. Would you care if I create one for the new release?

Yes, of course!