Star Image Research Articles

Contemporaneous high-angular-resolution imaging of the AGB star W Hya in vibrationally excited H2O lines and visible polarized light with ALMA and VLT/SPHERE-ZIMPOL

We present contemporaneous high-angular-resolution millimeter imaging and visible polarimetric imaging of the nearby asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star W Hya to better understand the dynamics and dust formation within a few stellar radii. The star W Hya \ was observed in two vibrationally excited H$_2$O lines at 268 and 251 GHz with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at a spatial resolution of 16times 20 mas and at 748 and 820 nm at a resolution of 26times 27 mas with the Very Large Telescope (VLT)/Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE)-Zurich Imaging Polarimeter (ZIMPOL). ALMA's high spatial resolution allowed us to image strong emission of the vibrationally excited H$_2$O \ line at 268 GHz ($ K_a,K_c $) over the stellar surface instead of absorption against the continuum, which is expected for thermal excitation. Strong, spotty emission was also detected along and just outside the stellar disk limb at an angular distance of sim 40 mas (sim 1.9 $R_ star ), extending to sim 60 mas (sim 2.9 $R_ star ). Another H$_2$O \ line ($ K_a,K_c $) at 251 GHz with a similar upper-level energy was tentatively identified, which shows absorption over the stellar surface. This suggests that the emission over the surface seen in the 268 GHz H$_2$O \ line is suprathermal or even maser emission. The estimated gas temperature and H$_2$O \ density are consistent with the radiatively pumped masers. The 268 GHz H$_2$O \ line reveals global infall at up to sim 15 km s$^ within 2--3 $R_ star but outflows at up to sim 8 km s$^ \ are also present. The polarized intensity maps obtained in the visible reveal clumpy dust clouds forming within sim 40 mas (sim 1.9 $R_ star ) with a particularly prominent cloud in the SW quadrant and a weaker cloud in the east. The 268 GHz H$_2$O \ emission overlaps very well with the visible polarized intensity maps, which suggests that both the nonthermal and likely maser H$_2$O \ emission and the dust originate from dense, cool pockets in the inhomogeneous atmosphere within sim 2--3 $R_ star

Sissyphilia and Tropicopolitan Sensibilities: Queering the Star in Thai Boys Love Media

This article investigates the queered star image in Thai Boys Love/yaoi (BL)/Y media released after 2020 through the lens of sissyphilia, queer scholarship, and a newly proposed idea—tropicopolitan sensibilities. The study concentrates on PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn’s BL-star persona. PP Krit practices his sissyphilic persona both within and beyond the Thai live-action BL framework, incorporating elements such as costume, makeup, mannerism, coupling culture, and the spectacle of diverse cultures. Arguably, sissyphilia in Thai BL media of the 2020s is no longer a mere withdrawal from gay men’s sissyphobic masculinity. Instead, it should be approached as a testament to another “queer turn” in the Thai mediascape, where an increasing number of celebrities are disrupting and diversifying Thai LGBTQ stereotypes. The BL industry in Thailand employs critical-creative maneuvers to resonate with the socio-political atmosphere of the period and embrace new tropes of transnational queer media.

Grayscale Iterative Star Spot Extraction Algorithm Based on Image Entropy

Star trackers are susceptible to interference from stray light, such as sunlight, moonlight, and Earth atmosphere light, in the space environment, resulting in an overall improvement in the star image grayscale, poor background uniformity, low star extraction rate, and high number of false star spots. In response to these challenges, this paper proposes a grayscale iterative star spot extraction algorithm based on image entropy. The implementation of the algorithm is mainly divided into two steps: (1) The algorithm conducts multiple grayscale iterations, effectively utilizing the prior information on the local contrast of star spots to filter out stray light backgrounds to a certain extent. (2) By establishing an inner–outer template, the image entropy algorithm is employed to obtain the real star targets to be extracted, which further suppresses the background clutter and noise. Numerical simulations and experimental results demonstrate that, compared to traditional detection algorithms, this algorithm can effectively suppress background stray light, enhance star extraction rates, and reduce the number of false star spots, and it exhibits superior detection performance in complex backgrounds across various scenarios.

CHARA Near-infrared Imaging of the Yellow Hypergiant Star ρ Cassiopeiae: Convection Cells and Circumstellar Envelope

Massive evolved stars such as red supergiants and hypergiants are potential progenitors of Type II supernovae, and they are known for ejecting substantial amounts of matter, up to half their initial mass, during their final evolutionary phases. The rate and mechanism of this mass loss play a crucial role in determining their ultimate fate and the likelihood of their progression to supernovae. However, the exact mechanisms driving this mass ejection have long been a subject of research. Recent observations, such as the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse, have suggested that the activity of large convective cells, combined with pulsation, could be a plausible explanation for such mass-loss events. In this context, we conducted interferometric observations of the famous yellow hypergiant, ρ Cassiopeiae using the CHARA Array in H- and K-band wavelengths. ρ Cas is well known for its recurrent eruptions, characterized by periods of visual dimming (∼1.5–2 mag) followed by recovery. From our observations, we derived the diameter of the limb-darkened disk and found that this star has a radius of 1.04 ± 0.01 mas, or 564–700 R ⊙. We performed image reconstructions with three different image reconstruction software packages, and they unveiled the presence of giant hot and cold spots on the stellar surface. We interpret these prominent hot spots as giant convection cells, suggesting a possible connection to mass ejections from the star’s envelope. Furthermore, we detected spectral CO emission lines in the K band (λ = 2.31–2.38 μm), and the image reconstructions in these spectral lines revealed an extended circumstellar envelope with a radius of 1.45 ± 0.10 mas.

New astrometric positions for six Jovian irregular satellites using Gaia DR3 in 2016 — 2021

The Jovian system is like a miniature solar system, with the system being more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined and having many natural satellites. Its formation and early evolution had a profound influence on our knowledge of the sculpting of the architecture of the solar system. Astrometric observations are of importance, based on these observations, its orbital dynamics, as well as its origin sometimes, of a solar system object can be determined. We aimed to obtain good astrometric positions of some irregular satellites Elara, Pasiphae, Sinope, Lysithea, Carme and Ananke to refine their orbits and ephemerides, and to understand their dynamics. We have taken, processed and reduced 964 ground-based CCD frames obtained between 2016 and 2021 by the 2.4 m telescope at the Lijiang Station of Yunnan Observatory over 27 nights. Among CCD image processing, the image subtraction technique of ISIS is employed to eliminate star images that are close to or/and almost overlapped with those of our targets in 2019. The star catalog Gaia DR3 is utilized for astrometric calibration, in which a weight scheme is applied to solve more accurate plate model. For all targets, their theoretical positions are retrieved from the Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Éphémérides (IMCCE) ephemeris. Our results show the mean (O - C)s (observed minus computed) of the positional residuals of all targets are −0′′.007 and 0′′.011 in R.A. and Dec., respectively. Their corresponding standard deviations are about 0′′.05 in each direction, except for Ananke (the faintest satellite) with its standard deviation about 0′′.08 in each direction.

Testing Cluster Membership of Planetary Nebulae with High-precision Proper Motions. I. HST Observations of JaFu 1 Near the Globular Cluster Palomar 6

If a planetary nebula (PN) is shown to be a member of a star cluster, we obtain important new constraints on the mass and chemical composition of the PN’s progenitor star, which cannot be determined for PNe in the field. Cluster membership can be tested by requiring the projected separation between the PN and cluster to be within the tidal radius of the cluster, and the objects to have nearly identical radial velocities (RVs) and interstellar extinctions, and nearly identical proper motions (PMs). In an earlier study, we used PMs to confirm that three PNe, which had already passed the other tests, are highly likely to be members of Galactic globular clusters (GCs). For a fourth object, the PN JaFu 1, which lies in the Galactic bulge near the GC Palomar 6 on the sky and has a similar RV, the available PM measurement gave equivocal results. We have now obtained new high-resolution images of the central star of JaFu 1 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which, combined with archival HST frames taken 14 and 16 yr earlier, provide a high-precision PM. Unfortunately, we find that the PM of the central star differs from that of the cluster with high statistical significance. Nevertheless, JaFu 1 is of astrophysical interest because its nucleus appears to be a member of the rare class of “EGB 6-type” central stars, which are associated with compact emission-line knots.

Time Evolution Images of the Hypergiant RW Cephei during the Rebrightening Phase Following the Great Dimming

Stars with initial masses larger than 8 M ⊙ undergo substantial mass loss through mechanisms that remain elusive. Unraveling the origins of this mass loss is important for comprehending the evolutionary path of these stars, the type of supernova explosion, and whether they become neutron stars or black hole remnants. In 2022 December, RW Cep experienced the Great Dimming in its visible brightness, presenting a unique opportunity to understand mass-loss mechanisms. Our previous observations of RW Cep from the CHARA Array, taken during the dimming phase, show a compelling asymmetry in the star images, with a darker zone on the west side of the star indicating the presence of dust in front of the star in our line of sight. Here, we present multiepoch observations from CHARA while the star rebrightened in 2023. We created images using three image reconstruction methods and an analytical model fit. Comparisons of images acquired during the dimming and rebrightening phases reveal remarkable differences. Specifically, the west side of RW Cep, initially obscured during the dimming phase, reappeared during the subsequent rebrightening phase, and the measured angular diameter became larger by 8%. We also observed image changes from epoch to epoch while the star is brightening, indicating the time evolution of dust in front of the star. We suggest that the dimming of RW Cep was a result of a recent surface mass ejection event, generating a dust cloud that partially obstructed the stellar photosphere.

‘Sandrine Bonnaire regained’: space and mobility in Sans toit ni loi and Prendre le large

ABSTRACT This article considers the parallels that can be drawn between two characters portrayed by Sandrine Bonnaire at distinct junctures in her film career: Mona, a young homeless woman whose wanderings are recounted retrospectively after her frozen corpse is discovered at the start of Agnès Varda’s Sans toit ni loi/Vagabond (1985); and Édith, a middle-aged woman who relocates to Morocco to keep her job with an offshored French textile factory in Gaël Morel’s Prendre le large/Catch the Wind (2017). It considers Mona and Édith in the context of a stasis-mobility dynamic identified as central to both films, reflects on the political implications of their mobility and considers a more proximate notion of space, with reference to the theory of haptic visuality explored previously. Prendre le large illustrates the limits of the palimpsestic star image and the recuperative possibilities of a film depicting an immersive encounter with a foreign space. I aim to demonstrate how the quite specific questions of labour and relocation broached in these films point to broader existential issues pertaining to identity and movement, as well as to consider what the two films, in dialogue with each other, might add to current debates around precarity in contemporary cinema.

Cosmogonic Conceptions of the Udmurt People in Naming Stars and Their Images in Folklore

The cosmogonic concepts of the Udmurt people can be detected through the names of stars, the names of which are usually based on mythological cognition. Additional and very significant information about space objects is contained in folklore texts. The images of stars are included in a stable triad of heavenly bodies along with the sun and moon. Their constant feature is ‘bright’ light, opposed to images of negative energy, forces of darkness – diseases or sorcerers. Therefore, images of stars are frequently used in charms, where they are presented as an insurmountable barrier to those who do evil. The stars, along with the sun and moon, became metaphors and comparisons in the song culture, prayers and charms of the Udmurt people. They are used as analogies in the characterization of family and kinship ties, testifying the relationships within the clan. The stars and constellations, when seen as symbols of unattainability and indivisibility, are a kind of guarantor of stability of the world.

An intelligent deep learning approach to spacecraft attitude control: The case of satellites

This paper presents a method using artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning to transform an on- board camera into an intelligent star sensor. This method overcomes the problems and limitations of conventional star sensors, such as cost, size, weight, power consumption, camera constraints and orientation accuracy. The method proposes an intelligent processing module embedded in the camera to determine the attitude of the spacecraft, and uses two convolutional neural network models to improve the resolution of star images and determine the attitude of the spacecraft from these images. This approach guarantees high spacecraft orientation accuracy and real-time processing, contributing to the success of space missions. The off-line phases of collecting and pre-processing stellar images, building intelligent models and labeling training data are described in detail. The results show that this method offers improved performance over conventional star sensors, and presents significant contributions to scientific research and technological innovation in the field of space remote sensing, contributing to sustainable development and understanding of the universe.

In-Orbit Image Motion Compensation Technology for Long-Integration Time Space Cameras Using a Two-Axis Pointing Platform

Space cameras play a pivotal role in various fields, such as astronomical exploration. When operating in orbit, these cameras encounter the relative motion between the target and the camera during the exposure, resulting in image motion, which affects the imaging quality. Therefore, it is necessary to compensate for this image motion. This paper investigates the in-orbit image motion compensation (IMC) method for space cameras with a long integration time based on a two-axis pointing platform. Firstly, the mechanical design of the camera is introduced. Secondly, the in-orbit IMC model for the camera is analyzed, and the angular motion needed for compensating for the image motion by the two-axis pointing platform are derived. Factors influencing the compensation accuracy are also analyzed. The effectiveness of the IMC model is verified through simulations. Finally, the in-orbit experimental results indicate that the energy concentration of the target star images obtained exceeded 70%, demonstrating excellent performance in space cameras and effectively enhancing imaging quality using IMC technology.

Optimization of polarization balance in beam splitter films for weak star simulator

In the weak star simulator, the background stray light of the self-excited star image and the simulated target star light are mixed with each other, which is difficult to separate and reduces the simulation accuracy of the star position. Therefore, based on the polarized light tracing method, this paper explores the induction mechanism of the polarization effect of the weak star simulator on the background stray light field of the star map, and proposes a polarization balance optimization method for the beam splitter film. At the same time, the mapping model of star position simulation accuracy, polarization parameters of beam splitter and polarization stray light suppression degree is established. Based on this evaluation function, the polarization balance optimization process of beam splitter is constructed to reduce the influence of polarization effect of beam splitter on the background stray light field of star image. The simulation and experimental results show that the stray light suppression ability of the weak star simulator is improved by 2.1 times and the simulation accuracy of the star position is improved by 1.64 times after the polarization balance optimization of the beam splitter film.

High-velocity Blue-shifted Fe xxv Heα Line during a Superflare of the RS Canum Venaticorum–type Star IM Peg

The Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) detected a superflare, releasing 5 × 1037 erg in 2−10 keV, of the RS CVn-type star IM Peg at 10:41 UT on 2023 July 23 with its Gas Slit Camera (2−30 keV). We conducted X-ray follow-up observations of the superflare with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER; 0.2−12 keV) starting at 16:52 UT on July 23 until 06:00 UT on August 2. NICER X-ray spectra clearly showed emission lines of the Fe xxv Heα and Fe xxvi Lyα for ∼1.5 days since the MAXI detection. The Fe XXV Heα line was blueshifted with its maximum Doppler velocity reaching −2200 ± 600 km s−1, suggesting an upward-moving plasma during the flare, such as a coronal mass ejection (CME) and/or chromospheric evaporation. This is the first case that the Fe xxv Heα line is blueshifted during a stellar flare, and its velocity overwhelmingly exceeds the escape velocity of the star (−230 km s−1). One hour before the most pronounced blueshift detection, a signature of the reheating of the flare plasma was observed. We discuss the origin of the blueshift, a CME, or high-velocity chromospheric evaporation.

‘Unmitigated Cad’: The Dual Stardom of George Sanders 1

This article explores the dual star image of Hollywood film star George Sanders (1906-1972), drawing on fan magazines, and other media sources and interviews with a family member. The focus is on the ambivalence of Sanders’ persona and his role in establishing the archetype of the cad. Initially, Sanders was portrayed by fan publications as a pin-up, whose attractiveness even came to briefly have a propaganda function. His association with a type of masculinity that was misogynistic, queer and attractive was paradoxical. His duality was reinforced by the roles he played on screen and by the sudden appearance in Hollywood of his older brother, Tom Conway, who acted as his shadow and his double. Sanders hated his stardom, but he made use of his star status to attempt to establish alternative careers; in writing, singing, and in a particular ill-fated business venture.

Disk Evolution Study Through Imaging of Nearby Young Stars (DESTINYS): PDS 111, an old T Tauri star with a young-looking disk

The interplay between T\,Tauri stars and their circumstellar disks, and how this impacts the onset of planet formation has yet to be established. In the last years, major progress has been made using instrumentation that probes the dust structure in the mid-plane and at the surface of protoplanetary disks. Observations show a great variety of disk shapes and substructures that are crucial for understanding planet formation. We studied a seemingly old T\,Tauri star, PDS\,111, and its disk. We combined complementary observations of the stellar atmosphere, the circumstellar hot gas, the surface of the disk, and the mid-plane structure. We analyzed optical, infrared, and sub-millimeter observations obtained with VLT/X-shooter, Mercator/HERMES, TESS, VLT/SPHERE, and ALMA, providing a new view on PDS\,111 and its protoplanetary disk. The multi-epoch spectroscopy yields photospheric lines to classify the star and to update its stellar parameters, and emission lines to study variability in the hot inner disk and to determine the mass-accretion rate. The SPHERE and ALMA observations are used to characterize the dust distribution of the small and large grains, respectively. PDS\,111 is a weak-line T\,Tauri star with spectral type G2, exhibits strong Halpha variability and with a low mass-accretion rate of $1-5 odot $. We measured an age of the system of 15.9$^ $\,Myr using pre-main sequence tracks. The SPHERE observations show a strongly flaring disk with an asymmetric substructure. The ALMA observations reveal a 30\,au cavity in the dust continuum emission with a low contrast asymmetry in the South-West of the disk and a dust disk mass of 45.8\,$M_ or $ Jup $. The 12CO observations do not show a cavity and the 12CO radial extension is at least three times larger than that of the dust emission. Although the measured age is younger than often suggested in literature, PDS\,111 seems relatively old; this provides insight into disk properties at an advanced stage of pre-main sequence evolution. The characteristics of this disk are very similar to its younger counterparts: strongly flaring, an average disk mass, a typical radial extent of the disk gas and dust, and the presence of common substructures. This suggests that disk evolution has not significantly changed the disk properties. These results show similarities with the "Peter Pan disks" around M-dwarfs, that "refuse to evolve".

Discovery and Characterization of Two Ultrafaint Dwarfs outside the Halo of the Milky Way: Leo M and Leo K

We report the discovery of two ultrafaint dwarf galaxies, Leo M and Leo K, that lie outside the halo of the Milky Way (MW). Using Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the resolved stars, we create color–magnitude diagrams reaching the oldest main-sequence turnoff of each system and (i) fit for structural parameters of the galaxies; (ii) measure their distances using the luminosity of the horizontal branch stars; (iii) estimate integrated magnitudes and stellar masses; and (iv) reconstruct the star formation histories. Based on their location in the Local Group, neither galaxy is currently within the halo of the MW although Leo K is located ∼26 kpc from the low-mass galaxy Leo T and these two systems may have had a past interaction. Leo M and Leo K have stellar masses of 1.8−0.2+0.3×104 M ⊙ and 1.2 ± 0.2 × 104 M ⊙, and were quenched 10.6−1.1+2.2 Gyr and 12.8−4.2+0.1 Gyr ago, respectively. Given that the galaxies are at farther distances from the MW, it is unlikely that they were quenched by environmental processing. Instead, given their low stellar masses, their early quenching timescales are consistent with the scenario that a combination of reionization and stellar feedback shut down star formation at early cosmic times.

"I Don't Feel Hate"

In (media) popular music, “personas” are usually media personalities. They mainly appear in mass media. As the media landscape has changed over the last 150 years, so have the media appearances of these musician-personalities - from sheet music to radio, records, film, television, music videos and finally YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Popular music is dominated by stars, media personalities who present a musical performance - but the way this performance is presented has varied historically. In “old” media, record companies had considerable power with regard to access to markets, but also regarding production, marketing and perpetuation of star images. This has changed dramatically with the rise of the internet and various social media platforms. Now potentially everyone has access, everyone can present oneself publicly, everyone can have his or her “15 minutes of fame” (Andy Warhol). The article describes these transformations to the principle of stardom using a case study: the creation of the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam 2021. The previously unknown singer Jendrik Sigwart talks about his application on TikTok and in particular about the production of a music video for it. His application on TikTok for one of Europe’s oldest TV events is an interesting moment in media history, in which old narrative strategies mix with new ones.

Disk Evolution Study Through Imaging of Nearby Young Stars (DESTINYS): The SPHERE view of the Orion star-forming region

Context. Resolved observations at near-infrared (near-IR) and millimeter wavelengths have revealed a diverse population of planet-forming disks. In particular, near-IR scattered light observations usually target close-by, low-mass star-forming regions. However, disk evolution in high-mass star-forming regions is likely affected by the different environment. Orion is the closest high-mass star-forming region, enabling resolved observations to be undertaken in the near-IR. Aims. We seek to examine planet-forming disks, in scattered light, within the high-mass star-forming region of Orion in order to study the impact of the environment in a higher-mass star-forming region on disk evolution. Methods. We present SPHERE/IRDIS H-band data for a sample of 23 stars in the Orion star-forming region observed within the DESTINYS (Disk Evolution Study Through Imaging of Nearby Young Stars) program. We used polarization differential imaging in order to detect scattered light from circumstellar dust. From the scattered light observations we characterized the disk orientation, radius, and contrast. We analysed the disks in the context of the stellar parameters and the environment of the Orion star-forming region. We used ancillary X-shooter spectroscopic observations to characterize the central stars in the systems. We furthermore used a combination of new and archival ALMA mm-continuum photometry to characterize the dust masses present in the circumstellar disks. Results. Within our sample, we detect extended circumstellar disks in ten of 23 systems. Of these, three are exceptionally extended (V351 Ori, V599 Ori, and V1012 Ori) and show scattered light asymmetries that may indicate perturbations by embedded planets or (in the case of V599 Ori) by an outer stellar companion. Our high-resolution imaging observations are also sensitive to close (sub)stellar companions and we detect nine such objects in our sample, of which six were previously unknown. We find in particular a possible substellar companion (either a very low-mass star or a high-mass brown dwarf) 137 au from the star RY Ori. We find a strong anticorrelation between disk detection and multiplicity, with only two of our ten disk detections located in stellar multiple systems. We also find a correlation between scattered light contrast and the millimeter flux. This trend is not captured by previous studies of a more diversified sample and is due to the absence of extended, self-shadowed disks in our Orion sample. Conversely, we do not find significant correlations between the scattered light contrast of the disks and the stellar mass or age. We investigate the radial extent of the disks and compare this to the estimated far-ultraviolet (FUV) field strength at the system location. While we do not find a direct correlation, we notice that no extended disks are detected above an FUV field strength of ~300 G0.

Star Image Centering with Deep Learning. II. HST/WFPC2 Full Field of View

We present an expanded and improved deep-learning (DL) methodology for determining centers of star images on Hubble Space Telescope/Wide-Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) exposures. Previously, we demonstrated that our DL model can eliminate the pixel-phase bias otherwise present in these undersampled images; however that analysis was limited to the central portion of each detector. In the current work we introduce the inclusion of global positions to account for the point-spread function (PSF) variation across the entire chip and instrumental magnitudes to account for nonlinear effects such as charge transfer efficiency. The DL model is trained using a unique series of WFPC2 observations of globular cluster 47 Tuc, data sets comprising over 600 dithered exposures taken in each of two filters—F555W and F814W. It is found that the PSF variations across each chip correspond to corrections of the order of ∼100 mpix, while magnitude effects are at a level of ∼10 mpix. Importantly, pixel-phase bias is eliminated with the DL model; whereas, with a classic centering algorithm, the amplitude of this bias can be up to ∼40 mpix. Our improved DL model yields star-image centers with uncertainties of 8–10 mpix across the full field of view of WFPC2.

Robust and adaptive star identification algorithm based on linear assignment for multiple large field of view visual imaging systems

The integration of the visual imaging system and the self-attitude determination system in on-orbit space projects necessitates robust star identification algorithms. However, disturbances in the on-orbit environment pose a challenge to the accuracy and efficiency of star identification algorithms. This paper introduces a novel star identification algorithm, to the best of our knowledge, designed for multiple large field of view (FOV) visual imaging systems, providing stability in the presence of the noise types, including position noise, lost-star noise, and fake-star noise. We employ the dynamic simulated star images generation method to construct simulated star image libraries suitable for various cameras with different FOV angles. Our algorithm comprises two parts: the star edge matching for coarse matching of interstellar angular distances based on linear assignment, and the star point registration for precise matching of star vectors. This innovative combination of local edge generation and global matching approach achieves an impressive 97.83% identification accuracy, maintaining this performance even with a standard deviation of one pixel in image plane errors and up to five missing stars. A comprehensive approach involving both simulated and empirical experiments was employed to validate the algorithm’s effectiveness. This integration of the visual imaging system and the self-attitude determination system offers potential benefits such as reduced space equipment weight, simplified satellite launch processes, and decreased maintenance costs.