Moving Object Detection with Optimal Image Subtraction)

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Engineering, 2009-10

Liaison(s): Dr. Marc W. Buie
Advisor(s): Patrick Little
Students(s): Steven Berry (F), Austin Lee (TL-S), Cullen McMahon (S), Claire Robinson (F), Chris Sauro, Florian Scheulen (TL-F)

The Southwest Research Institute Clinic team was tasked with improving the execution time and output quality of an image subtraction algorithm. This software is important both for the study of Pluto as well as asteroid detection. The first half of this project is focused on code improvement and efficiency. The second half is focused on analyzing a large set of images to locate a Kuiper Belt Object that the New Horizons spacecraft can target after passing Pluto in 2015.