Frequently-Asked Questions
Where do the images come from?
The images on the site are contributed by a variety of observatories. A current list of participants can be found on the home page. Each participant provides a list of original to the AstroPix site which downloads them, generates copies at various sizes, and adds them to the database.
On most images you can find a link at the bottom of the description that will take you to the source webpage.
Can I use these images for my website/article/movie/etc.?
Most of the images are available for general use, but the details vary institution by institution. We ask that you read the "Rights" section on each image.
Why do some images show up more than once?
Sometimes multiple observatories collaborate on the same image, usually when data from all of them are incorporated into a single rendering. In this case, different institutions will provide the same image to AstroPix. They may look identical, but often there may be different information in the caption text.
How can I provide feedback on an image?
AstroPix is purely an aggregator, bringing together collections from various observatories. If you have specific or feedback about an image, it should be directed to the home institution of the image (source links should appear on every image).
Why can't I find images from the _____ observatory?
AstroPix can only offer images that carry the proper metadata to provide the content you see on the page. This must be done by the staff of an observatory before this site can ingest their images. We are working to bring more observatories into the AstroPix collaboration and are happy to help new web teams get started with the image tagging process.
How do I sort my results?
Results currently sorted with the most recently updated images at the top of the list. Additional results sorting options are one of many features we plan to add in future development cycles.
Why is this image showing up in the wrong place in the sky in WorldWide Telescope?
Many of the AstroPix partners are still in the process of generating the metadata used by this site. Coordinate data is particularly time-consuming to calculate, and in the past has been difficult to validate. Now that WorldWide Telescope overlays are available in AstroPix, these mistakes should be caught, and corrected, more quickly.
