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False Color

A method of representing data where colors are assigned to specific ranges of values, often used in astronomical imaging to visualize wavelengths outside the visible spectrum.

Source: earthobservatory.nasa.gov

APODs including "False Color"

Lava Fountain on Jupiter's Io

20/12/1999

Lava Fountain on Jupiter's Io
Image Credit: NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

A lava fountain shooting over a kilometer high has been discovered on Jupiter's moon Io. The robot Galileo spacecraft orbiting Jupiter photographed the volcanic eruption during its close flyby of the moon late last month. The fountain is visible in the above mosaic of images from the flyby. The lava plume was so bright it saturated Galileo's camera, and so has been digitally reconstructed in false color. The hot lava appears to be shooting from a 20-kilometer long canyon on Io's active surface.