Abstract
Through the application of the wavelet technique to a planetary nebulae image, we are able to identify different scale sizes structures present in its wavelet coefficient decompositions. In a multiscale vision model, an object is defined as a hierarchical set of these structures. We can then use this model to independently reconstruct the different objects that compose the nebulae. The result is the separation and identification of superposed objects, some of them with very low surface brightness, what makes them, in general, very difficult to be seen in the original images due to the presence of noise. This allows us to make a more detailed analysis of brightness distribution in these sources. In this project, we use this method to perform a detailed morphological study of some planetary nebulae and to investigate whether one of them indeed shows internal temperature fluctuations. We have also conducted a series of tests concerning the reliability of the method and the confidence level of the objects detected. The wavelet code used in this project is called OV_WAV and was developed by the UFRJ's Astronomy Departament team.
