This paper will compare competing methods for optically detecting binary objects. This is mostly intended for use in Space Situational Awareness (SSA), though has the potential to be used in other applications. The first method referred to as, “Single Object Detection” is a versatile algorithm which is currently used to detect extraterrestrial objects. However, it does not take into account interference by a nearby object. Therefore a second algorithm is investigated, referred to as “Binary Object Detection”, which does. The binary detection algorithm proved to have a comparable or superior Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve (based upon the area under the curve) in all cases. The algorithm was tested with both simulated and measured data containing single points and binary objects
