GoKawiilNASA's Mars imaging technique reveals hidden rock art on Earth
Scientists have applied a decorrelation stretch method originally developed by NASA to enhance Mars imagery, using it instead to uncover faded rock art on Earth. The technique works by remapping the original colors of an image into an expanded range rather than just boosting contrast, making subtle pigment differences visible to the human eye.
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This crossover shows how space-exploration image-processing tools can find valuable applications in archaeology and cultural heritage preservation. Faint or weathered rock art that's invisible or barely visible to the naked eye can now be documented and studied without physical intervention, potentially preserving historical records that might otherwise be lost to erosion or human damage.
- Decorrelation stretch technique remaps colors into an expanded range rather than simply increasing contrast
- Originally designed for NASA's Mars image analysis, the method is now used to reveal hidden rock art on Earth
- The tool offers archaeologists a non-invasive way to study and preserve faded historical artwork
Canon EOS R100 Mirrorless Camera — Decorrelation stretch analysis starts with a good, clean image, and the EOS R100 is an approachable mirrorless body for shooting rock art panels, petroglyphs, and other field subjects in high resolution. Its RAW files give you plenty of color data to play with when you run enhancement techniques later on your computer.
See Canon EOS R100 Mirrorless Camera on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: gizmodo.com, 2026-09-10
Published there as: “This NASA Color Trick Was Meant for Mars. Now It’s Unveiling Rock Art on Earth”
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