How NASA Imaging Tech Uncovered Hidden Angkor Wat Paintings

A NASA-developed imaging technique revealed hidden artworks in Cambodia's Angkor Wat between 2010 and 2012.

Hidden paintings at Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex were revealed using technology originally developed by NASA. In the central tower of the ancient site, faded images of horseback riders and traditional musicians had gone unnoticed by thousands of visitors for years. Archaeologists, using a method conceived at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discovered approximately 200 paintings throughout the site between 2010 and 2012. The technique, known as decorrelation stretch, sharpens contrasts in images, highlighting faded artwork. Jon Harman, inspired by its application to Martian landscapes, adapted this method for studying ancient artworks. The original NASA concept was developed in 1996 by Ronald Alley to work with data from a Japanese imaging instrument on NASA's Terra satellite.