| Pixon reconstruction of near infrared imaging of the "Pistol Star", the most luminous star ever discovered. The raw image shows the strong spreading of the light around stars due to diffraction from the Hubble Space Telescope. Rather than being a problem with the telescope (as was suffered before Hubble was repaired), the diffraction spikes around the stars show the high quality of the NICMOS instrument with which the data was taken. These artifacts result from the fundamental nature of light. No instrument can avoid them. Nonetheless, the Pixon method offers a solution to this fundamental limit in our ability to see clearly. Through the use of minimal complexity modeling, the Pixon method is able to reveal the underlying structure with greatly enhanced clarity. It sorts out the light and puts it back where it belongs. Consequently all the stars are properly brought back to points of light and the structure of the underlying nebula is seen in unprecedented detail. |
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