Limb definitions

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Obtaining information about the topography of the investigated object for further geophysical interpretation an important task in remote sensing data processing. To study the celestial bodies surface are actively using the information transmitted from artificial satellites (satellites) and interplanetary spacecraft (ICA). The most common method of studying the stereo processing topography of satellite images by photogrammetric method. However, satellites often have a trajectory which does not allow to observe the basic principles of obtaining stereo images. At the same time, there are many images of space objects (Fig. 1), which you can obtain information about the limb elevation method definitions, although with lower accuracy than classical stereo processing. The product of a comprehensive analysis of a series of measurements of the limb of a celestial body is a continuous elevation profile. In this case the base point of the research is the technology of finding the position of the center point of the limb on each shot and subsequent aggregate analysis and coordinate all related information for the purpose of obtaining data about the coordinates of the center of the figure (and then the center of mass) of the studied celestial bodies. Currently, the laboratory is developing a methodology for definitions of limb of Phobos, IO, Enceladus (Fig. 2). The data obtained are analyzed, compared with built in CLUT digital elevation models and shapes of bodies (Fig. 3, 4).

Fig. 1. An example snapshot of Enceladus (N1489047359) with clearly visible limb and obtained after processing limbs

Fig. 2. The position of the limbs, obtained at 302 images of Enceladus the spacecraft Cassini

Fig. 3. 3D terrain model of Phobos, built in MExLab, with the imposition of the received limbs

Fig. 4. 3D visualization of the limb profiles (yellow lilies) and digital elevation model of Enceladus (green contours)