The Sky360 Station

The Sky360 Station is our open-source, citizen-science sky observation platform designed to provide continuous, high-quality monitoring of Earth's atmosphere and near-Earth space.

The station has been developed as part of the broader Sky360 Project initiative. Each station combines advanced optical tracking, automated event detection, and intelligent analysis to observe and document aerial phenomena ranging from satellites, meteors, and aircraft to drones, atmospheric events, and unidentified objects.

At the heart of the system is a dual-camera architecture consisting of an AllSkyCam (ASC) and a Pan-Tilt-Focus (PTF) tracking camera. The AllSkyCam continuously monitors the entire sky and automatically detects moving objects. When an event of interest is identified, the PTF camera is tasked with acquiring, tracking, and recording the target at significantly higher resolution, enabling detailed analysis and classification. This layered approach allows the station to capture both broad situational awareness and precise observational data.

Because analysis software and AI require high quality data, we need to track fast moving events in Earth's atmosphere and low orbit with a minimum video resolution of 3-4 px for each event. Our benchmark is to detect, track and identify the ISS. The space station moves at a distance of 422km (250 mi), at a speed of 7.66km/s (28k km/h, 17.4k mph) and is visible for around 2 minutes (depending on the location).

Detection, Tracking and Triangulation

 The station is supported by an open-source software ecosystem that incorporates image processing, automated tracking, machine-learning-based identification, sensor coordination, and future cloud-based event aggregation. Combined with standardized hardware, weather-resistant enclosures, and a globally distributed network of observers, Sky360 aims to establish a transparent, reproducible framework for 24/7 sky awareness and the scientific investigation of aerial phenomena. Volunteers are welcome to join any of our efforts, given their skill-set.