DEVELOPMENT OF REGISTRATION METHODS FOR SHORT-TERM LUNAR PHENOMENA OF LUMINESCENT TYPE

Abstract

. Various studies of the moon are currently becoming more and more relevant in the light of the programs developed by the leading space powers to include this celestial body and the circumlunar space in the sphere of not only scientific but also practical interests. In this regard, it is impossible to ignore the phenomenon of transient lunar phenomenon (TLP), the very existence of which cannot be ignored in the implementation of lunar manned programs. The proposed work is aimed at solving the most important problem in the complex problem of studying TLP – their registration. It is necessary to clarify the variety of physical causes of short-term lunar phenomena. Out of a fairly wide range of such phenomena, we have identified the most poorly studied ones – luminescent clays. Their occurrence can be associated either with the degassing of the lunar interior, or with collisions with the lunar surface of impactors containing mainly volatile substances. Registration of these TLP (in the daytime part of the lunar disk) is complicated by their low contrast against the General background of the Sunlit surface of the moon. In this paper, a method that allows increasing the contrast of luminescent glow on images of the lunar disk or its parts is physically justified and elaborated in detail. The method involves the introduction of automated image processing, thereby ensuring the objectivity of the results obtained.