How Infrared Data Becomes Visible Color

The James Webb Space Telescope's images, like the "Cosmic Cliffs," do not represent colors visible to the human eye. Webb's instruments detect infrared light, which is then recorded as grayscale data. Astronomers assign visible colors to these grayscale frames by mapping infrared wavelengths to corresponding visible light colors, typically using a system called chromatic ordering. While the structure and relative intensities are measured facts, the specific hues are chosen for representation, with shorter infrared wavelengths often mapped to blue and longer ones to red. This method, standard in astronomy, allows for the visualization of phenomena obscured by dust or shifted to longer wavelengths due to cosmic expansion.