What key technique characterizes modern digital comet discovery filtering?
Answer
Image subtraction and pattern recognition
Modern comet hunting has transformed into a high-speed digital process where computers handle the initial detection work. The core technical leap involves taking sequential images of the same area of the sky. The advanced computer software then performs rapid image subtraction—a process that effectively removes the background noise of static objects like fixed stars—allowing the system to isolate and identify any objects that exhibit motion over the short time interval between the two photographs. This motion is the signature that separates a potential solar system body, like a comet, from the fixed stellar background.
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