Pixon
reconstruction of near infrared imaging of the "Pistol Star", the most
luminous star ever discovered. The raw image shows the strong spreading of
the light around stars due to diffraction from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Rather than being a problem with the telescope (as was suffered before
Hubble was repaired), the diffraction spikes around the stars show the
high quality of the NICMOS instrument with which the data was taken. These
artifacts result from the fundamental nature of light. No instrument can
avoid them. Nonetheless, the Pixon method offers a solution to this
fundamental limit in our ability to see clearly. Through the use of
minimal complexity modeling, the Pixon method is able to reveal the
underlying structure with greatly enhanced clarity. It sorts out the light
and puts it back where it belongs. Consequently all the stars are properly
brought back to points of light and the structure of the underlying nebula
is seen in unprecedented detail.

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