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

interstellar medium plasmoids

The interstellar medium of galaxies is a turbulent, magnetized, thermally unstable gaseous medium. Here, simulations follow driven turbulence (sonic mach number, and plasma beta number, both equal to unity) in ISM-like conditions. Each panel shows a 2D slice of the 3D simulation. From left to right: current density, plasma beta (from <0.1 in green, to >10 in yellow), and temperature (cool in blue, to warm in orange). The visualization shows magnetic reconnection events forming plasmoids - magnetically coherent structures.

Methods: ATHENA++ code

date added Nov. 15, 2022

categories 3d, idealized, star-formation

author Drummond Fielding

origin arXiv 2211.06434