Astronomy Picture of the Day 4-30-02

NASA ^ | 4-30-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 April 30

The Holographic Principle
Image Credit & Copyright: E. Winfree, K. Fleischer, A. Barr et al. (Caltech)

Explanation: Is this image worth a thousand words? According to the Holographic Principle, the most amount of information you can get from this image is about 3 x 10⁶⁵ bits for a normal sized computer monitor. The Holographic Principle, yet unproven, states that there is there is a maximum amount of information content held by regions adjacent to any surface. Therefore, counter-intuitively, the information content inside a room depends not on the volume of the room but on the area of the bounding walls. The principle derives from the idea that the Planck length, the length scale where quantum mechanics begins to dominate classical gravity, is one side of an area that can hold only about one bit of information. The limit was first postulated by physicist Gerard 't Hooft in 1993. It can arise from generalizations from seemingly distant speculation that the information held by a black hole is determined not by its enclosed volume but by the surface area of its event horizon. The term "holographic" arises from a hologram analogy where three-dimension images are created by projecting light though a flat screen. Beware, other people looking at the above image may not claim to see 3 x 10⁶⁵ bits -- they might claim to see a teapot.

[petuniasevan]

Vastly different areas of study can be related, even though the connection may be tenuous.

If you can look "through" the image, you will see a familiar object pop into view.
I will list the object here, in white font. It's a teapot. Highlight to read the answer.

Get on the APOD PING list!

[petuniasevan]

APOD PING!

[EggsAckley]

Arrgghh! I had a book of these once and couldn't see ANY of them. Can't see this one either.

[aomagrat]

It looks like my mother's shawl.

[RightWhale]

New galaxy, want sugar with that?

[petuniasevan]

Know how when you're really tired, and your vision starts to double?
Relax those eye muscles and LET it happen. Don't squint, don't cross your eyes.

[fnord]

I'll go have a few beers, maybe that will help (I never see anything in these, sad to say)

[BlessedAmerican]

Please add me to your ping list. And for those who are having trouble getting 'the object' in view...it helps if there is a light on behind you that casts a reflection on your screen. Stare at the reflection and the object will come into view....enjoy

[BlessedAmerican]

I posted a note on the thread but thought you might miss it. If you are still having trouble seeing the object...have a light on behind you that casts a reflection in your screen. Sit close to the screen, 12" or so and then stare at the reflection. Let your eyes relax almost like they are going out of focus when you are reading. The object will come into view...it is not you, it's your technique! enjoy

[Vinomori]

thank you!

[Tennessee_Bob]

You're not alone - I can't see any of these things either.