Toward a Continuous Record of the Sky

Abstract

It is currently feasible to start a continuous digital record of the entire sky sensitive to any visual magnitude brighter than 15 each night. Such a record could be created with a modest array of small telescopes, which collectively generate no more than a few Gigabytes of data daily. Alternatively, a few small telescopes could continually re-point to scan and record the entire sky down to any visual magnitude brighter than 15 with a recurrence epoch of at most a few weeks, again always generating less than one Gigabyte of data each night.These estimates derive from CCD ability and budgets typical of university research projects. As a prototype, we have developed and are utilizing an inexpensive single-telescope system that obtains optical data from about 1500 square degrees. We discuss the general case of creating and storing data from a both an epochal survey, where a small number of telescopes continually scan the sky, and a continuous survey, composed of a constellation of telescopes dedicated each continually inspect a designated section of the sky. We compute specific limitations of canonical surveys in visible light, and estimate that all-sky continuous visual light surveys could be sensitive to magnitude 20 in a single night by about 2010. Possible scientific returns of continuous and epochal sky surveys include continued monitoring of most known variable stars, establishing case histories for variables of future interest, uncovering new forms of stellar variability, discovering the brightest cases of microlensing, discovering new novae and supernovae, discovering new counterparts to gamma-ray bursts, monitoring known Solar System objects, discovering new Solar System objects, and discovering objects that might strike the Earth.

Random Numbers from Astronomical Imaging

“…Our next step is to attempt to create a web interface where it will be possible to download random numbers in real time using this method. This could be accomplished by using the international network of continuous cameras (concams; Nemiroff & Rafert 1999). The concams have the virtues that one does not require the sky to be dark locally and the images are freely available to the public.…”

Characterization of the Infrasound Field in the Central Pacific

“…Because of the coincidence in energy release between bolides and nuclear tests, and the frequency of bolide event occurrence, it is crucial to be able to positively and expeditiously identify a questionable arrivals as a bolide. However, without secondary supporting information such as a confirmed satellite detection (the ideal situation, as it gives fairly accurate estimates of the location and time of the explosion), radar observations, records fiom a CONCAM (Nemiroff & Rafert, 1999) or other photographic system, or detections on additional arrays, it can be very dificult to positively identify the signal.…”

nightskylive.net: The Night Sky Live project

“…Paczynski (1996) discussed possible scientific returns from monitoring the entire sky to detect different forms of variability. Nemiroff & Rafert (1999) discussed practical limits and possible returns from continuously recording the entire sky. They distinguished between projects that continuously record the entire sky, and epochal recording, which involve observations that return to any one sky location only after a given epoch.…”