1–3 Jul 2026
Astronomical Observatory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Europe/Bucharest timezone

Astronomical Image Processing for Automatic Star Detection and Constellation Visualization

1 Jul 2026, 12:30
30m
Astronomical Observatory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Astronomical Observatory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Ciresilor 19 Street, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj
Talk

Speaker

Ana-Maria Bîzgă (Technical University of Cluj-Napoca)

Description

Abstract — Modern astronomical observations generate large amounts of image data, increasing the need for automated methods capable of detecting and identifying celestial objects. This paper presents a software application designed for the analysis of astronomical images, combining image processing techniques with astronomical reference data. The developed pipeline performs automatic object detection and segmentation, followed by the correlation of the obtained objects with external astronomical information. The application integrates the Astrometry.net service for astrometric calibration, used to establish a correspondence between image coordinates and celestial coordinates through a plate-solving process. Using the obtained calibration parameters, stars from astronomical catalogs are projected onto the image plane and associated with locally detected objects. Furthermore, the proposed pipeline identifies the constellations visible in the analyzed sky region by combining stellar catalog information with constellation structures. The system also provides a visual comparison between locally detected objects and objects identified through astronomical catalogs, facilitating result validation and interpretation. Experimental evaluation on astronomical images demonstrates that the proposed approach successfully combines image processing, astrometric calibration, and constellation visualization, providing an informative representation of the observed sky region. The obtained results highlight the potential of the proposed application as an effective tool for astronomical image analysis.

Keywords—astronomical image analysis, Astrometry.net, astrometric calibration, plate-solving, astronomical catalogs, constellation identification

Author

Ana-Maria Bîzgă (Technical University of Cluj-Napoca)

Co-authors

Ana Rednic (Technical University of Cluj-Napoca) Radu Gabriel Danescu (Technical University of Cluj-Napoca)

Presentation materials

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