Stray Light Correction and Enhancement of Nocturnal Low-Light Image of Early-Morning-Orbiting Fengyun-3E Satellite

The Chinese early-morning-orbiting Fengyun-3E (FY-3E) satellite fills the 6-h initial observation window for data assimilation in numerical weather prediction (NWP). The low-light band (LLB) on the medium-resolution spectral imager low light (MERSI-LL) of FY-3E can detect extremely low radiances at night, significantly enhancing nighttime observation capabilities as well as elevating data assimilation quality by improving the nighttime cloud mask algorithm. However, severe and nonlinear stray light contamination affects most nocturnal FY-3E/MERSI-LL LLB images, particularly those from the Southern Hemisphere, hindering further visualization applications. The analysis concluded that the stray light is closely associated with the refraction and reflection of sunlight entering the MERSI-LL, solar zenith angle (SZA), and detector number. To obtain clear and enhanced images, this study designed a fully automated and adaptive stray light correction and enhancement algorithm for the nocturnal low-light images of FY-3E/MERSI-LL. Three typical stray-light-contaminated scenarios were categorized for all nighttime images. The restored results showed that after processing, the “fog” stray light and stripes were essentially removed, and the details became richer and more prominent, significantly improving the visual effect and usability of the images. This algorithm is simple, efficient, and highly applicable, and will be integrated into the processing system of the FY-3E satellite to support near real-time applications of LLB images. However, some strong or unusual stray light still affects the local continuity of the images. Future low-light imagers of FY-3 satellites will feature more sophisticated instruments to reduce incident stray light in their optical system.