NASA technique for manipulating satellite photos now reveals ancient images
High in the central tower of Angkor Wat, an ancient Cambodian temple, paintings depict horseback riders and a traditional musical ensemble. Thousands of visitors pass these images daily without noticing them because they are faded to the point of invisibility.
An ancient Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat, contains paintings of horseback riders and musicians that are barely visible due to fading. Archaeologists discovered these images between 2010 and 2012, using a technique developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The method, called decorrelation stretch, enhances contrasts in digital imagery, making it easier to spot features.
Rock art enthusiast Jon Harman stumbled upon this technique in 2005 while examining Martian surface images. With his background in medical imaging, Harman realized the potential of decorrelation stretch for studying faded, ancient images and developed a plug-in for the open-source program ImageJ. Since then, the technique has been used to uncover about 200 previously unseen paintings at Angkor Wat, as well as rock art, tomb imagery, and mummified tattoos in various locations around the world.
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