Abstract
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are challenging objects to detect using automated techniques, due to their high velocity and diffuse, irregular morphology. A necessary step to automating the detection process is to first remove the subjectivity introduced by the observer used in the current, standard, CME detection and tracking method. Here we describe and demonstrate a multiscale edge detection technique that addresses this step and could serve as one part of an automated CME detection system. This method provides a way to objectively define a CME front with associated error estimates. These fronts can then be used to extract CME morphology and kinematics. We apply this technique to a CME observed on 18 April 2000 by the Large Angle Solar COronagraph experiment (LASCO) C2/C3 and a CME observed on 21 April 2002 by LASCO C2/C3 and the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE). For the two examples in this work, the heights determined by the standard manual method are larger than those determined with the multiscale method by ≈10% using LASCO data and ≈20% using TRACE data.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boursier, Y., Llebaria, A., Goudail, F., Lamy, P., Robelus, S.: 2005, Automatic detection of coronal mass ejections on LASCO-C2 synoptic maps. SPIE 5901, 13 – 24.
Brueckner, G.E., Howard, R.A., Koomen, M.J., Korendyke, C.M., Michels, D.J., Moses, J.D., Socker, D.G., Dere, K.P., Lamy, P.L., Llebaria, A., Bout, M.V., Schwenn, R., Simnett, G.M., Bedford, D.K., Eyles, C.J.: 1995, The large angle spectroscopic coronagraph (LASCO). Solar Phys. 162, 357 – 402.
Canny, J.: 1986, A computational approach to edge detection. IEEE Trans. Pattern Recognit. Mach. Intell. 8, 679 – 698.
Efron, S., Tibshirani, R.J.: 1993, An Introduction to the Bootstrap, Chapman and Hall, New York.
Gallagher, P.T., Lawrence, G.R., Dennis, B.R.: 2003, Rapid acceleration of a coronal mass ejection in the low corona and implications for propagation. Astrophys. J. 588, L53 – L56.
Gallagher, P.T., Dennis, B.R., Krucker, S., Schwartz, R.A., Tolbert, A.K.: 2002, RHESSI and TRACE observations of the 21 April 2002 X1.5 flare. Solar Phys. 210, 341 – 356.
Gonzalez, R.C., Woods, R.E.: 2002, Digital Image Processing, 2nd edn., Prentice-Hall, Upper Sadle River.
Handy, B.N., Acton, L.W., Kankelborg, C.C., Wolfson, C.J., Akin, D.J., Bruner, M.E., Caravalho, R., Catura, R.C., Chevalier, R., Duncan, D.W., Edwards, C.G., Feinstein, C.N., Freeland, S.L., Friedlaender, F.M., Hoffmann, C.H., Hurlburt, N.E., Jurcevich, B.K., Katz, N.L., Kelly, G.A., Lemen, J.R., Levay, M., Lindgren, R.W., Mathur, D.P., Meyer, S.B., Morrison, S.J., Morrison, M.D., Nightingale, R.W., Pope, T.P., Rehse, R.A., Schrijver, C.J., Shine, R.A., Shing, L., Strong, K.T., Tarbell, T.D., Title, A.M., Torgerson, D.D., Golub, L., Bookbinder, J.A., Caldwell, D., Cheimets, P.N., Davis, W.N., Deluca, E.E., McMullen, R.A., Warren, H.P., Amato, D., Fisher, R., Maldonado, H., Parkinson, C.: 1999, The transition region and coronal explorer. Solar Phys. 187, 229 – 260.
Mallat, S.: 1998, A Wavelet Tour of Signal Processing, Academic, San Diego.
Mallat, S., Hwang, W.L.: 1992, Singularity detection and processing with wavelets. IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 38, 617 – 643.
Mallat, S., Zhong, S.: 1992, Characterization of signals from multiscale edges. IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell. 14, 710 – 732.
Marr, D.: 1982, Vision, W.H. Freeman, New York.
Olmedo, O., Zhang, J., Wechsler, H., Borne, K., Poland, A.: 2005, Solar eruptive event detection system (SEEDS). Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 37, 1342.
Portier-Fozzani, F., Vandame, B., Bijaoui, A., Maucherat, A.J.: 2001, A multiscale vision model applied to analyze EIT images of the solar corona. Solar Phys. 201, 271 – 287.
Qu, M., Shih, F.Y., Jing, J., Wang, H.: 2006, Automatic detection and classification of coronal mass ejections. Solar Phys. 237, 419 – 431.
Robbrecht, E., Berghmans, D.: 2004, Automated recognition of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in near-real-time data. Astron. Astrophys. 425, 1097 – 1106.
Starck, J.-L., Murtagh, F.: 2002, Handbook of Astronomical Data Analysis, Springer, Berlin.
Stenborg, G., Cobelli, P.J.: 2003, A wavelet packets equalization technique to reveal the multiple spatial-scale nature of coronal structures. Astron. Astrophys. 398, 1185 – 1193.
Yashiro, S., Gopalswamy, N., Michalek, G., St. Cyr, O.C., Plunkett, S.P., Rich, N.B., Howard, R.A.: 2004, A catalog of white light coronal mass ejections observed by the SOHO spacecraft. J. Geophys. Res. 109(A7), A07105.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Young, C.A., Gallagher, P.T. Multiscale Edge Detection in the Corona. Sol Phys 248, 457–469 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-008-9177-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-008-9177-9