NASA Image Processing Technique for Mars Reveals Ancient Earth Art
A NASA-developed image processing technique, initially designed to enhance satellite photos of Mars, has been successfully applied to uncover faded ancient artwork on Earth. Jon Harman, a rock art enthusiast with a background in medical imaging and mathematics, adapted NASA's 'decorrelation stretch' algorithm. This technique, which enhances color variations and distributes pixels across a wider color range while preserving hue, saturation, and intensity, was first encountered by Harman at a 2005 rock art conference. He developed a plug-in, later an app called Dstretch, based on a NASA paper explaining the algorithm. Harman first tested Dstretch on photos of rock art in Baja California, Mexico, where it revealed a previously unseen yellow figure. The effectiveness of Dstretch has led to its widespread adoption by archaeologists globally, aiding in the discovery of undocumented figures and artwork in various locations, including Egypt, Canada, and Greece. It has even been used to enhance images of tattoos on...
