Technique for Manipulating Satellite Photos Now Reveals Ancient Images (2025)
A NASA-developed image processing technique called decorrelation stretch has been adapted to reveal faded ancient rock art in locations like Angkor Wat. The Dstretch software, created by Jon Harman, has become a vital tool for archaeologists worldwide.
Why it matters
Demonstrates how cross-disciplinary technology transfer can preserve cultural heritage and uncover historical data previously invisible to the human eye.
On the walls of a chamber near the top of the central tower in the ancient Cambodian temple Angkor Wat, paintings depict horseback riders and a traditional musical ensemble. Every day, thousands of visitors pass these images without noticing, because they’re faded to the point of invisibility.
They were discovered, along with about 200 other paintings throughout the sprawling complex, between 2010 and 2012 by a Singaporean archaeologist using a method conceived at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
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