Modern computation generates data -- lots and lots of data. Obtaining scientific knowledge from the results requires synthesizing vast datasets into fundamental understanding. A single image is unrivaled in its ability to produce not only insight but also beauty, revealing as a distillate what otherwise remains impenetrably hidden: 'a picture is worth a thousand terabytes.'

In visualization many aesthetic choices must be made. While an image from a computer simulation or a vast dataset can be functional, it can also be aesthetic. Astrophysics is a discipline rich in natural beauty, from planets and stars to galaxies and the large-scale structure of the Universe.

This project is dedicated to the most arresting, most captivating, and most pioneering visualization efforts in computational astrophysics. The hope is to inspire and motivate work beyond the functional, and to capture the evolving language of design within the context of our humble corner of space.

Have a suggestion or an amazing example? Suggestions are always welcome.

Dylan Nelson

anvil of creation

A 3D radiative MHD simulation of small-scale star formation within a giant molecular cloud (GMC). The method includes the formation, accretion, evolution, and dynamics of individual stars, as well as their stellar feedback through jets, radiation, winds, and supernovae. Stars are shown in white, with an empirical point spread function added, giving them the characteristic X-shape. Color indicates 1D line-of-sight velocity dispersion, from 0.1 km/s (purple) to 10 km/s (orange), while brighter colors indicate higher gas surface density.

Methods: GIZMO code

date added Oct. 23, 2020

categories 3d, star-formation

author Michael Grudich

origin arXiv 2010.11254