Abstract
Nighttime images taken with DSLR cameras from the International Space Station (ISS) can provide valuable information on the spatial and temporal variation of artificial nighttime lighting on Earth. In particular, this is the only source of historical and current visible multispectral data across the world (DMSP/OLS and SNPP/VIIRS-DNB data are panchromatic and multispectral in the infrared but not at visible wavelengths). The ISS images require substantial processing and proper calibration to exploit intensities and ratios from the RGB channels. Here we describe the different calibration steps, addressing in turn Decodification, Linearity correction (ISO dependent), Flat field/Vignetting, Spectral characterization of the channels, Astrometric calibration/georeferencing, Photometric calibration (stars)/Radiometric correction (settings correction - by exposure time, ISO, lens transmittance, etc) and Transmittance correction (window transmittance, atmospheric correction). We provide an example of the application of this processing method to an image of Spain.
Highlights
There is growing demand for colour imagery of the Earth at night
The approach that we describe is relevant to the calibration of images taken with standard DSLR cameras for other purposes, including meteor science (meteor photometry Borovicka et al (2014); meteor video photometry - Madiedo et al (2019); meteor spectroscopy - Cheng and Cheng (2011)), measurement of skyglow (Hanel et al, 2018), and more generally scientific photog raphy using DSLR cameras with antiblooming
Calibration of nighttime images of the Earth taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is not, in general, an easy task
Summary
There is growing demand for colour imagery of the Earth at night. This has been driven by increasing recognition of the im pacts of outdoor artificial nighttime lighting (from streetlights and other sources) on the natural environment, human health, and associated policy and public concerns (e.g. Rich and Longcore (2013); Holker et al (2010); Falchi et al (2011); Gaston et al (2012, 2015); Gaston (2013, 2018); Garcia-Saenz et al (2018)). There is growing demand for colour imagery of the Earth at night This has been driven by increasing recognition of the im pacts of outdoor artificial nighttime lighting (from streetlights and other sources) on the natural environment, human health, and associated policy and public concerns The camera bodies and lenses used by the astronauts to take images of the Earth have mainly been from Nikon’s professional product line (see Table 2 for those used for nocturnal photography) These have usually been unmodified, with the exception of the Nikon D3S S/ N:2007944 used on missions ISS030 and ISS031 that had the infra-red filter removed. It has interchangeable lenses using the Fmount, an ISO range from 200 to 12,800, and 14-bit A/D conversion
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