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From a quantum physics standpoint, why do astronomical images of galaxies and nebulae exhibit so little green color in their spectral composition? The Rosette Nebula | NASA

When we look at the pictures of galaxies provided by satellites, there is a profusion of shapes and colors. It should be noted, however, that the colors are not equally frequent. The color green, for example, seems to be rare, rarer even than the color blue. Is there a reason for this?

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    $\begingroup$ Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking. $\endgroup$
    – Community Bot
    Commented Jun 27 at 17:47
  • $\begingroup$ Thermal radiation doesn't produce much of a green impression in the human eye. At low temperatures it's in the red region and then it becomes ever more white. The ring nebula seems to exhibit a greenish tinge because of oxygen, but I have never seen it in a telescope with my own eyes. I suspect it's probably fairly faint and for faint light human color perception is poor. $\endgroup$
    – FlatterMann
    Commented Jun 27 at 17:51
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    $\begingroup$ Note that this image, like many astronomical photos, is enhanced with false-color elements that map non-visible wavelengths to colors we can see - whether green is present or not may be an artistic choice. The star cluster pictured does not actually look like this to the eye. $\endgroup$
    – Nuclear Hoagie
    Commented Jun 27 at 18:06
  • $\begingroup$ Yup, these are false color images. There’s no green because the artist didn’t think green would look as good. $\endgroup$
    – knzhou
    Commented Jun 27 at 18:46
  • $\begingroup$ Hi, welcome to Physics SE. Although the explanation in this case is artistic rather than physical, you might find this interesting. $\endgroup$
    – J.G.
    Commented Jun 27 at 22:39

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