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

black hole binary

A numerical simulation of two supermassive black holes, orbiting each other as a close binary pair. These two black holes are just 40 orbits away from coalescence (merging), an event which would be detectable due to its strong production of gravitational waves. This visualization instead shows electromagnetic radiation (light) emitted by the disturbed accretion disks surrounding the two black holes.

Methods: -

date added May 9, 2022

categories 3d, idealized, black-hole

author NASA SVS

origin SVS 14146