#multispectral imaging

[insidemyfavoritemanuscript]

Episode 20: Paul Dilley on Papyrus, Manichaeism, and Multispectral Imaging

A photo of a page from one of the Medinet Madi Coptic Manichaean Codices taken under ultraviolet light.

In Episode 20 of Inside My Favorite Manuscript, Dot talks with Paul Dilley about one of the Medinet Madi Coptic Manichaean Codices. These seven papyrus manuscripts dating to the 4th and 5th centuries were discovered in Egypt in 1929, and they tell the story of a religion that was intended to draw from Christianity, Buddhism, Gnosticism, and other religions to create something new, but it was later crushed by Christian Roman emperors who considered it heresy. Our conversation ranges from the conservation of papyrus and the details of the beliefs of Manichaeism, to papyrus conservation and multispectral imaging.

Listen here, or wherever you find your podcasts

Below the cut are more images and links relevant to the conversation. Please note that there is an animated gif that switches between light and dark at one second intervals. Please be careful if you are sensitive to flashing lights.

These manuscripts have been minimally digitized, so we don't have many images to show.

The papyrus is quite damaged, and the text is so faded it can be difficult to read.

Multispectral imaging can help clarify the ink.

And here is a little animated gif that illustrates the difference between the two photos.

And finally, the photo of Paul ready to put the manuscript through the machine!

Dr Brent Seales, "Reading the Invisible Library: Virtual Unwrapping and the Scroll from En-Gedi" (Video on YouTube, February 2023)

[girlpetrarca]

on the left a palimpsest I found, on the right just some guy chilling

ms. Trivulziano 1084 & the Hereford map (facsimile)

[pixxelspace]

Harnessing the Power of Hyperspectral Imaging in Agriculture

The field of hyperspectral imaging in agriculture is making significant strides, offering a wide range of benefits to the industry. Space technologies play a pivotal role in providing extensive coverage and with the application of hyperspectral imaging, offer crucial and granular insightsfor overall agricultural productivity.

This article discusses how this technology presents a valuable solution to tackle critical challenges faced by agricultural businesses, including crop health monitoring, yield improvement, pest detection, and nutrient content assessment.

Optimizing Crop Management and Yield Enhancement:

The agricultural sector faces several challenges regarding crop management and yield estimation and optimisation, while coping with a growing global population and declining natural resources. Traditional approaches to assessing crop and soil health are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and lack accuracy, resulting in decreased productivity and adverse environmental impacts.

Hyperspectral Imaging utilizes its ability to capture a wide range of spectral bands to provide accurate and real-time information about the biochemical composition and health of crops. By providing precise information about variations in crop growth, nutrient imbalances, soil conditions, and early warnings for pest infestations and crop diseases, hyperspectral imaging empowers farmers and agronomists to make informed decisions and take timely actions.

Precise Weed Control and Nutrient Optimization:

One notable application of hyperspectral imaging is its ability to differentiate between crop species and weeds, facilitating targeted weed control measures, and reducing herbicide usage. By analyzing field-level details, farmers can observe changes in crop health and promptly address any issues.

Hyperspectral imaging also aids in monitoring nutrient content, pinpointing specific imbalances in plants or soil, enabling precise fertilization strategies, minimizing waste, and optimizing nutrient uptake.

Efficient Water Management, Effluent Monitoring, and Resource Conservation

Water scarcity and efficient water management, including effluent monitoring, are critical points of concern in modern agriculture. To address these challenges, hyperspectral imaging technology offers valuable insights and tools for optimizing water usage in agricultural systems.

By utilizing advanced sensors capable of capturing a wide range of electromagnetic wavelengths, hyperspectral imaging enables detailed monitoring of crop water stress, soil moisture levels, and irrigation needs. This capability enables farmers and agronomists to make data-driven decisions regarding irrigation scheduling, ensuring that water is applied precisely where and when it is needed.

By accurately assessing plant water status and optimizing irrigation practices, hyperspectral imaging helps conserve water resources, improve water use efficiency, and enhance crop productivity. Additionally, by integrating hyperspectral imaging data with other relevant parameters such as weather patterns and crop growth stages, farmers can develop predictive models and decision support systems for proactive water management, effluent monitoring, and resource conservation.

This holistic approach to water management empowers farmers to achieve sustainable agricultural practices, reduce water waste, and mitigate the impacts of water scarcity on crop production.

Early Disease Detection and Field Margin Monitoring:

Hyperspectral imaging contributes to early disease detection by analyzing the unique spectral signatures of crops, allowing farmers to proactively mitigate their spread and minimize crop losses. Additionally, hyperspectral imaging supports field margin monitoring, by providing valuable insights to assess and manage the health and biodiversity of these critical areas.

Furthermore, hyperspectral imaging assists in effluent monitoring, tracking, and managing agricultural waste and its environmental impact.

Precision Agriculture: Optimizing Crop Health and Variety Selection

In the realm of precision agriculture, hyperspectral imaging presents itself as a powerful tool for enhancing vegetation stress assessment and crop classification. By capturing data on stressors like water scarcity, nutrient imbalances, and pest infestations, hyperspectral imaging offers valuable insights into the overall health of crops. Armed with this information, farmers can proactively implement targeted mitigation measures to ensure optimal productivity.

Furthermore, the high spectral resolution of hyperspectral imaging enables accurate classification of different crop varieties based on spectral data analysis. This capability empowers farmers to effectively manage their fields, selecting the most suitable crop varieties for specific environmental conditions. By harnessing the precision of hyperspectral imaging, farmers can further optimize their operations, promote crop health, and maximize yields in the realm of precision agriculture.

Hyperspectral imaging is capable of addressing key challenges and providing valuable insights for efficient crop management. Embracing the potential of hyperspectral imaging is a vital choice for the agricultural industry to unlock its full range of benefits, leading to enhanced yields, improved pest detection, optimized nutrient assessment, efficient soil health evaluation, accurate disease detection, meticulous field margin monitoring, and informed pasture and herbal ley management.

As the agricultural sector continually seeks innovative and sustainable practices, hyperspectral imaging paves the way for a more productive and environmentally conscious future across the field.

[evgenychernyavskiy]

EnMAP (Environmental #Mapping and #Analysis Program) is a German satellite for the simultaneous #acquisition of high-resolution, hyperspectral images in the visible and near #infrared range

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Child's Sock from Egypt, c.250-350 CE: this colorful sock is nearly 1,700 years old

This sock was discovered during excavations in the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus. It was likely created for a child during the late Roman period, c.250-350 CE.

Similar-looking socks from late antiquity and the early Byzantine period have also been found at several other sites throughout Egypt; these socks often have colorful, striped patterns with divided toes, and they were crafted out of wool using a technique known as nålbinding.

Above: a similar child's sock from Antinoöpolis, in Egypt, c.250-350 CE

The sock depicted above was created during the same period, and it was found in a midden heap (an ancient rubbish pit) in the city of Antinoöpolis. A multispectral imaging analysis of this sock yielded some interesting results back in 2018, as this article explains:

... analysis revealed that the sock contained seven hues of wool yarn woven together in a meticulous, stripy pattern. Just three natural, plant-based dyes—madder roots for red, woad leaves for blue and weld flowers for yellow—were used to create the different color combinations featured on the sock, according to Joanne Dyer, lead author of the study.

In the paper, she and her co-authors explain that the imaging technique also revealed how the colors were mixed to create hues of green, purple and orange: In some cases, fibers of different colors were spun together; in others, individual yarns went through multiple dye baths.

Such intricacy is pretty impressive, considering that the ancient sock is both “tiny” and “fragile."

Given its size and orientation, the researchers believe it may have been worn on a child’s left foot.

Above: child's sock from Al Fayyum, Egypt, c.300-500 CE

The ancient Egyptians employed a single-needle looping technique, often referred to as nålbindning, to create their socks. Notably, the approach could be used to separate the big toe and four other toes in the sock—which just may have given life to the ever-controversial socks-and-sandals trend.

Sources & More Info:

Manchester Museum: Child's Sock from Oxyrhynchus

British Museum: Sock from Antinoupolis

Royal Ontario Museum: Sock from Al Fayyum

Smithsonian Magazine: 1,700-Year-Old Sock Spins Yarn About Ancient Egyptian Fashion

The Guardian: Imaging Tool Unravels Secrets of Child's Sock from Ancient Egypt

PLOS ONE Journal: A Multispectral Imaging Approach Integrated into the Study of Late Antique Textiles from Egypt

National Museums Scotland: The Lost Sock

[nasa]

Let's Explore a Metal-Rich Asteroid 🤘

Between Mars and Jupiter, there lies a unique, metal-rich asteroid named Psyche. Psyche’s special because it looks like it is part or all of the metallic interior of a planetesimal—an early planetary building block of our solar system. For the first time, we have the chance to visit a planetary core and possibly learn more about the turbulent history that created terrestrial planets.

Here are six things to know about the mission that’s a journey into the past: Psyche.

1. Psyche could help us learn more about the origins of our solar system.

After studying data from Earth-based radar and optical telescopes, scientists believe that Psyche collided with other large bodies in space and lost its outer rocky shell. This leads scientists to think that Psyche could have a metal-rich interior, which is a building block of a rocky planet. Since we can’t pierce the core of rocky planets like Mercury, Venus, Mars, and our home planet, Earth, Psyche offers us a window into how other planets are formed.

2. Psyche might be different than other objects in the solar system.

Rocks on Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Earth contain iron oxides. From afar, Psyche doesn’t seem to feature these chemical compounds, so it might have a different history of formation than other planets.

If the Psyche asteroid is leftover material from a planetary formation, scientists are excited to learn about the similarities and differences from other rocky planets. The asteroid might instead prove to be a never-before-seen solar system object. Either way, we’re prepared for the possibility of the unexpected!

3. Three science instruments and a gravity science investigation will be aboard the spacecraft.

The three instruments aboard will be a magnetometer, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, and a multispectral imager. Here’s what each of them will do:

Magnetometer: Detect evidence of a magnetic field, which will tell us whether the asteroid formed from a planetary body

Gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer: Help us figure out what chemical elements Psyche is made of, and how it was formed

Multispectral imager: Gather and share information about the topography and mineral composition of Psyche

The gravity science investigation will allow scientists to determine the asteroid’s rotation, mass, and gravity field and to gain insight into the interior by analyzing the radio waves it communicates with. Then, scientists can measure how Psyche affects the spacecraft’s orbit.

4. The Psyche spacecraft will use a super-efficient propulsion system.

Psyche’s solar electric propulsion system harnesses energy from large solar arrays that convert sunlight into electricity, creating thrust. For the first time ever, we will be using Hall-effect thrusters in deep space.

5. This mission runs on collaboration.

To make this mission happen, we work together with universities, and industry and NASA to draw in resources and expertise.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the mission and is responsible for system engineering, integration, and mission operations, while NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Services Program manages launch operations and procured the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Working with Arizona State University (ASU) offers opportunities for students to train as future instrument or mission leads. Mission leader and Principal Investigator Lindy Elkins-Tanton is also based at ASU.

Finally, Maxar Technologies is a key commercial participant and delivered the main body of the spacecraft, as well as most of its engineering hardware systems.

6. You can be a part of the journey.

Everyone can find activities to get involved on the mission’s webpage. There's an annual internship to interpret the mission, capstone courses for undergraduate projects, and age-appropriate lessons, craft projects, and videos.

You can join us for a virtual launch experience, and, of course, you can watch the launch with us on Oct. 12, 2023, at 10:16 a.m. EDT!

For official news on the mission, follow us on social media and check out NASA’s and ASU’s Psyche websites.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[thebeautifulbook]

CIPHER MANUSCRIPT [aka VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT] by Roger Bacon[?] (Central Europe, c.1401-1599) 18th -19th century binding.

‘Scientific or magical text in an unidentified language, in cipher, apparently based on Roman minuscule characters; the text is believed by some scholars to be the work of Roger Bacon since the themes as the illustrations seem to represent topics know to have interested Bacon…. A history of the numerous attempts to decipher the manuscript can be found in a volume edited by R.S Brumbaugh THE MOST MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT: The Voynich “Roger Bacon” Cipher Manuscript (Carbondale, IL, 1978). Although several scholars have claimed decipherments of the manuscript, for the most part the text remains an unsolved puzzle.’ — from an abstract by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale

source [digitized]

[beautifulmars]

HiPOD: Mounds on the Floor of Kashira Crater

Light-toned mounds on the floor of Kashira Crater exhibit signature of aluminum-phyllosilicates or hydroxylated silica in CRISM multispectral data. Mars Orbiter Camera images show networks of ridges on the mound surfaces, possibly resistant fractures resulting from alteration or cementation by fluids. Some surfaces have a polygonal texture. (Black and white cutout is less than 5 km across; enhanced color is less than 1 km.)

ID: ESP_029053_1525 date: 7 October 2012 altitude: 257 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

[astronomia-nova]

The different Mars Rovers and what we learned

Sojourner (1997)

First rover to successfully land on Mars. Defined by NASA as a "micro-rover" due to its small size, Sojourner had a speed of maximum of 0.4 meters pr. minute. It was active for about 80 days on the surface of Mars.

Sojourner carried three cameras, an Atmospheric Structure Instrument (Meteorology Package) and an Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer. There instruments.

From Sojourner, NASA learned about the surface and weather conditions of Mars.

Sojourner found rounded rocks at the landing site, which suggests that running water could have been on Mars. The radio-tracking of Pathfinder (mission name) also gave an estimate of Mars' metal core's size (1300 kilometers to 2000 kilometers). It also discovered that the dust that is in the air on Mars is magnetic and possibly made up of mahemite. Sojourner also observed dust devils, ice clouds in the lower atmosphere and temperature fluctuations on the surface of Mars.

Spirit (2004-2010) and Opportunity (2004-2018)

Spirit was one of two Mars rovers launched in 2003 (mission started in 2004). The wheels on Spirit and Opportunity were about double the size of Sojourners. The weight of both rovers was about 17 times Sojourners, and more than double the size. Their goal on Mars was to search the surface for traces of past water. In 2009, Spirit got stuck in soil (in the area called Troy). In 2010, Spirit stopped communications, and the mission ended in 2011.

Opportunity was launched in 2004 along with Spirit but lasted much longer than their twin. Setting the record for the longest-lasting Mars rover, Opportunity stopped communications in 2018. Opportunity also set the record for the longest distance traveled by a rover, around 45 kilometers.

Like Sojourner, Spirit provided data about Mars' weather conditions, especially the wind. Both Spirit and Opportunity found evidence of possible conditions on Mars that could allow microbial life.

Spirit and Opportunity both had panoramic cameras, a thermal emission spectrometer, a Moessbauer spectrometer, an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, and a microscopic imager.

Curiosity (2012-present)

Curiosity is currently the oldest active Mars rover (as of 21/07/2023) The main purpose of Curiosity is to figure out if Mars has the right environment for microbial lifeforms. Curiosity is currently exploring Gale Crater and had the most advanced instruments at the time. Curiosity has found evidence of water having been on Mars in the past, found old organic material, and discovered that Mars has had a thicker atmosphere in the past.

Curiosity can climb over knee-high obstacles and can go up to 30 meters per hour.

Curiosity carries a radioisotope power system to generate electricity, which gives the rover a steady electricity flow. Curiosity also carries 17 cameras, a laser, a drill, and 10 different instruments.

Perseverance (2021-present)

Perseverance is the newest Mars rover from NASA. The main goal for Perseverance is to research habitable conditions on Mars, but also for signs of past microbial life. The mission also tests possible options for future human expeditions on Mars (ex. improved landing techniques, producing oxygen from the atmosphere and environmental conditions).

The drill Perseverance used can collect samples and then set them aside for collection on the surface.

Zhurong (2021-2022)

Launched by the CNSA, Zhurong is the first Chinese Mars rover. In 2022 it became inactive due to sandstorms and the winter, which prevented it from waking at an appropriate temperature and good sunlight conditions.

Zhurong's mission was to study the topography, examine the surface (soil and elements), and take samples of the atmosphere. To do this it had a RoPeR (Mars Rover Penetrating Radar), RoMAG (Mars Rover Magnetometer), MCS (Mars Climate Station), MarSCoDE (Mars Surface Compound Detector), a multispectral camera and navigation and topography cameras. It also had a remote camera on board.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

6 Things to Know About NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer

Feb. 26, 2025

The small satellite mission will map the Moon to help scientists better understand where its water is, what form it’s in, how much is there, and how it changes over time.

Launching no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer will help resolve an enduring mystery: Where is the Moon’s water? After sharing a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 launch — part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative — the small satellite will take several months to arrive in lunar orbit.

Here are six things to know about the mission.

1. Lunar Trailblazer will produce high-resolution maps of water on the lunar surface.

One of the biggest lunar discoveries in recent decades is that the Moon’s surface has quantities of water, but little about its nature is known. To investigate, Lunar Trailblazer will decipher where the water is, what form it is in, how much is there, and how it changes over time. The small satellite will produce the best-yet maps of water on the lunar surface. Observations gathered during the two-year prime mission will also contribute to the understanding of water cycles on airless bodies throughout the solar system.

2. The small satellite will use two state-of-the-art science instruments.

Key to achieving these goals are the spacecraft’s two science instruments: the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) infrared spectrometer and the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) infrared multispectral imager. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California provided the HVM3 instrument, while LTM was built by the University of Oxford and funded by the UK Space Agency.

HVM3 will detect and map the spectral fingerprints, or wavelengths of reflected sunlight, of minerals and the different forms of water on the lunar surface. The LTM instrument will map the minerals and thermal properties of the same landscape. Together they will create a picture of the abundance, location, and form of water while also tracking how its distribution changes over time and temperature.

3. Lunar Trailblazer will take a long and winding road to the Moon.

Weighing only 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measuring 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with its solar panels fully deployed, Lunar Trailblazer is about the size of a dishwasher and relies on a relatively small propulsion system. To make the spacecraft’s four-to-seven-month trip to the Moon (depending on the launch date) as efficient as possible, the mission’s design and navigation team has planned a looping trajectory that will use the gravity of the Sun, Earth, and Moon to guide Lunar Trailblazer to its final science orbit — a technique called low-energy transfer.

4. The spacecraft will peer into the darkest parts of the Moon’s South Pole.

Lunar Trailblazer’s science orbit positions it to peer into the craters at the Moon’s South Pole using the HVM3 instrument. What makes these craters so intriguing is that they harbor cold traps that may not have seen direct sunlight for billions of years, which means they’re a potential hideout for frozen water. The HVM3 spectrometer is designed to use faint reflected light from the walls of craters to see the floor of even permanently shadowed regions. If Lunar Trailblazer finds significant quantities of ice at the base of the craters, those locations could be pinpointed as a resource for future lunar explorers.

5. Lunar Trailblazer is a high-risk, low-cost mission.

Lunar Trailblazer was a 2019 selection of NASA’s SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration), which provides opportunities for low-cost science spacecraft to ride-share with selected primary missions. To maintain a lower overall cost, SIMPLEx missions have a higher risk posture and lighter requirements for oversight and management. This higher risk acceptance allows NASA to enable science missions that could not otherwise be done.

6. Future missions will benefit from Lunar Trailblazer’s data.

Mapping the Moon’s water supports future human and robotic lunar missions. With knowledge from Lunar Trailblazer of where water is located, astronauts could process lunar ice to create water for human use, breathable oxygen, or fuel. And they could conduct science by sampling the ice for later study to determine the water’s origins.

TOP IMAGE: Sunlight gleams off NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer as the dishwasher-size spacecraft orbits the Moon in this artist’s concept. The mission will discover where the Moon’s water is, what form it is in, and how it changes over time, producing the best-yet maps... Credit: Lockheed Martin Space

LOWER IMAGE: Fueled and attached to an adaptor used for secondary payloads, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer is seen at SpaceX’s payload processing facility within NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in early February 2025. The small satellite is riding along on Intuit... Credit: SpaceX

[separatedway]

I.R.I.S- Integrated Retinal Imaging System

This is a device integrated into the organic matter of the eye, utilizing metasurface structures integrated around the outer layer of the iris to transmit multispectral visual data into the retina, which is further processed by software integrated into the brain.

It is a unique cybertronic device, powered by a microbattery and computer placed in the visual cortex.

I.R.I.S allows Ada to see into spectrums such as the Electromagnetic, Infrared, Ultraviolet; enhances her capacity to see in the dark, enhances her ability to track patterns, gauge range and distance of targets.

It does all this without interfering with the brain's natural perception altering strategies for dealing with tasks.

[wetdreamdrops]

SWIR Imaging for Apples, part II: The Multispectral Future of Food Inspection

[evgenychernyavskiy]

Focal plane #units and #imaging #systems: unique focal plane units for high-resolution #Earth observation satellites.

[insidemyfavoritemanuscript]

Episode 21: Yvonne Seale and Heather Wacha on cartularies, the long life of manuscripts, and the Premonstrantensian Order

Soissons, Bibliothèque municipale, 0007, folios 46v-47r

In Episode 21 of Inside My Favorite Manuscript, Dot and Lindsey sit down with Yvonne Seale and Heather Wacha to talk about Soissons, Bibliothèque municipale, 0007, aka the Cartulary of Prémontré. Prémontré was the parent house of the Premonstratensian Order, an the cartulary contains legal documents related to the house and its holdings. In our conversation we talked about the house itself, people and events mentioned in the documents, and how the cartulary was written (and how it was changed later).

Listen here, or wherever you find your podcasts

Below the cut are more images and links relevant to the conversation.

Soissons, Bibliothèque municipale, 0007, digitized and online.

About the Premonstratensian Order.

Heather's first manuscript experience: the Chad Gospels. Here is folio 3r, the carpet page.

The Chad Gospels - this website documents the work of Bill Endres on the gospels and includes many different views of the manuscript, including 3D models and multispectral images.

Images of Soissons, Bibliothèque municipale, 0007:

Front cover:

Folio 1r: the "new" beginning of the manuscript, which were originally at the back of the manuscript but were moved forward when it was rebound.

Folio 6r- the original start of the manuscript.

Folio 17r - the start of a section of documents.

Ink stains on 95v-96r:

Book of Kells, Christ Enthroned:

More about the Book of Kells.

The Cartulary of Prémontré. Edited by Yvonne Seale and Heather Wacha. Medieval Academy Books. University of Toronto Press, June 2023.