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Ann. Geophys., 26, 243-248, 2008
www.ann-geophys.net/26/243/2008/
© European Geosciences Union 2008
Automatic detection and tracking of filaments for a solar feature database
J. Aboudarham1, I. Scholl1,2, N. Fuller1, M. Fouesneau3, M. Galametz3, F. Gonon3, A. Maire3, and Y. Leroy3
1Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA), Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, France
2International Space University (ISU), Strasbourg, France
3Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Physique de Strasbourg (ENSPS), Strasbourg, France
Abstract. A new method for the automatic detection and tracking of solar filaments is
presented. The method addresses the problems facing existing catalogs, such
as the one developed recently in the frame of the European Grid of Solar
Observations (EGSO) project. In particular, it takes into account the
structural and temporal evolution of filaments, differences in intensity as
seen from one observation to the next, and the possibility of sudden
disappearance followed by reappearance. In this study, the problem of
tracking is solved by plotting all detected filaments during each solar
rotation on a Carrington map and then by applying region growing techniques
on those plots. Using this approach, the "fixed" positions of the envelopes
in the Carrington system can be deduced. This is followed by a backward
tracking of each filament by considering one full solar rotation. The
resulting shifted Carrington map then enables one to follow any filament from
one rotation to the next. Such maps should prove valuable for studies of the
role of filaments in solar activity, notably coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
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