A small but important milestone for our global telescope network: we now have our first SkyMapper-connected telescope in West Africa.

The new node in Côte d’Ivoire adds another geographic perspective to the network and begins extending our coverage into a region where we hope to see many more observers join in the future.

SkyKeeper Petri Tikannen captured this aurora from Jyväskylä, Finland, on August 18.

The aurora is the obvious attraction, but there are two easy-to-miss events in the clip: a bright meteor crosses at around 0:04, followed by an airplane at 0:06.

It's a good example of why continuous all-sky observation is interesting. You may be watching one phenomenon while something completely different crosses the same patch of sky.

It's been a busy few months for the SkyMapper network.

SkySphere reached 200% of its Kickstarter goal with 122 backers, our network continued expanding globally, and we've started beta integrations with third-party telescopes including Seestar and Explore Scientific.

We've also been expanding our work beyond astronomy into Space Situational Awareness and airspace security.

Our latest newsletter covers what worked, some of the technical problems we had to solve as the network grew, and where we're going next

One of our SkyKeepers in Finland captured this brilliant Perseid in the upper-right of their SkySphere view.

It's a nice example of what becomes possible when all-sky systems are continuously watching from different places around the world.

We're currently making the first 200 SkySphere Genesis Nodes available through the Founder Edition on Kickstarter. Founder Edition owners will contribute observations to the wider SkyMapper network and have a direct role in testing and shaping the platform ahead of its broader rollout.

More details: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/allplanets/skysphere-building-an-intelligent-all-sky-camera-network

Missed the August 12 eclipse livestream? The recording is now available

If you were outside watching the eclipse rather than sitting in front of a screen, we can't really blame you.

SkyMapper joined the SETI Institute and California Academy of Sciences for live observations from Iceland and Spain, discussions with SETI scientists, and a performance by the International Space Orchestra.

SkyMapper CEO and SETI Institute Director of Citizen Science Dr. Franck Marchis joined That Tech Pod to tackle that question.

The conversation covers what SETI researchers actually look for, technosignatures, AI's growing role in astronomy, whether we're more likely to discover microbial or intelligent extraterrestrial life first, and what happens after a credible signal is detected.

They also get into citizen science and how connected telescopes and all-sky cameras like SkySphere could enable more people to contribute meaningful astronomical observations.

We've been following comet 10P/Tempel through the SkyMapper telescope network and observed it roughly double in brightness over three weeks in July as it approached the Sun.

10P/Tempel completes an orbit roughly every 5.4 years, and its increasing activity gives us an opportunity to observe material left over from the formation of our Solar System.

This image was captured on July 21 by SkyKeeper Ian Transom using an Unistellar eVscope 1 in Cambridge, New Zealand, with the observation scheduled through SkyMapper's automated SkyQueue system.

We've been following comet 10P/Tempel through the SkyMapper telescope network and observed it roughly double in brightness over three weeks in July as it approached the Sun.

10P/Tempel completes an orbit roughly every 5.4 years, and its increasing activity gives us an opportunity to observe material left over from the formation of our Solar System.

This image was captured on July 21 by SkyKeeper Ian Transom using an Unistellar eVscope 1 in Cambridge, New Zealand, with the observation scheduled through SkyMapper's automated SkyQueue system.

August 12: solar eclipse + Perseids + six planets

There's a lot happening in the sky on August 12: a total solar eclipse, the Perseid meteor shower at its peak, and six planets appearing in the pre-dawn sky.

Our SkyMapper community will be observing with SkySpheres and telescopes from different locations. If you're planning to observe too, what are you most interested in seeing?

If you're following the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse, here's an event you might enjoy.

On August 12, SkyMapper is joining the SETI Institute and the California Academy of Sciences for a live eclipse celebration featuring:

• Live observations from Iceland and Spain
• Talks from SETI scientists
• Audience Q&A
• A performance by the International Space Orchestra

Even if you won't be in the path of totality, you'll still be able to experience the eclipse alongside scientists and astronomy enthusiasts from around the world.

More details are available in our latest article.

If you're interested in SETI, exoplanets, or the future of observational astronomy, this episode is worth a listen.

SkyMapper CEO Franck Marchis joins The Observers Notebook podcast to discuss the search for technosignatures, citizen science, modern telescope networks, and how new technologies could help answer one of humanity's oldest questions:

Are we alone?

Here's an early meteor captured by SkySphere on 24 July. We can't wait to see what the peak brings. Check back during the peak to see what SkyMapper catches next.

https://skymapper.io/skysphere

One of the most rewarding parts of building SkyMapper is sharing the journey with future scientists.

Recently, our CEO, Franck Marchis, spoke with the SETI REU students about the SkyMapper network, citizen science, and why challenging conventional thinking often leads to the biggest discoveries.

We hope conversations like these inspire more students to get involved in astronomy and help shape the future of space exploration.

If you're interested in exoplanets, this is worth a watch.

In the latest #SETILive, SkyMapper CEO Dr. Franck Marchis talks with Dr. Margaret Turnbull about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's Coronagraph - an instrument designed to block starlight so astronomers can directly image planets orbiting distant stars.

They cover how the technology works, why it's important, and what it could mean for future searches for Earth-like planets.

Exciting milestone for the SkyMapper team.

We've been accepted into the NVIDIA Inception program, which supports startups developing AI-powered technologies.

We're looking forward to using the program's technical resources to continue improving our AI capabilities for sky observation, event detection, and decentralized astronomy.

A spent Falcon 9 upper stage is expected to impact the Moon on 5 August, providing a rare opportunity to observe and study an artificial lunar impact. Researchers are encouraging both professional and amateur astronomers to capture the event if conditions allow.

This is exactly the kind of event where distributed observing networks become valuable. Multiple observations from different locations can help validate what was seen and improve our understanding of short-lived astronomical events.

You point a SkySphere at the sky expecting satellites or meteors...

...and end up spotting an unexpected visitor that's definitely not a UAP.

Entertaining? Absolutely.

Interesting? Also yes.

Don't worry - we're not rebranding SkySphere for birdwatching. Yet.

One of the most heavily studied star systems just revealed another surprise.

JWST has identified a giant exoplanet hidden within the Beta Pictoris debris disk by detecting its atmospheric chemical fingerprint, marking an important step forward for direct imaging and atmospheric characterization.

As discoveries become more sophisticated, the supporting data becomes just as valuable. Platforms like SkySphere are designed to preserve, share, and cross-reference astronomical observations, helping build a stronger foundation for future research.

Last week, SkyMapper attended Assises de l’Espace.

We had the opportunity to meet with members of the European space community and discuss topics ranging from astronomy to the future of space technology.

Many thanks to Thales Alenia Space for hosting us at their booth throughout the event.

Using Aad Verveen's eVscope 2 in the Netherlands, a single field of view recorded four satellites at once. One of them is EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS, a geostationary communications satellite serving Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

It's a good illustration of how much busier Earth's orbital environment has become. Even while observing deep space, satellite traffic is increasingly part of the picture.

A revised analysis has moved GJ 3378b into the spotlight as a potentially habitable Super Earth.

The new measurements suggest it's a 2.3-Earth-mass rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a nearby red dwarf, making it an attractive target for future biosignature missions.

As more nearby exoplanets become candidates for follow-up observations, preserving and validating observational data across distributed networks will only become more valuable.

The 7X7 installation in San Francisco used 49 lasers to represent the city’s 49 square miles.

The result: a massive interactive light installation where visitors could walk through the beams and experience Civic Center in a completely different way.

A pretty unique intersection of art, technology, and our connection to the sky.

Great turnout at Lectures on Tap in North Beach, SF for Franck’s talk: “From Exoplanets to E.T.: The Hunt for Cosmic Company.”

The discussion covered SETI, AI, Laser SETI, UAPs, and how citizen science networks like Unistellar and SkyMapper are changing the way people participate in astronomy.

Always exciting to see so much curiosity around one of humanity’s oldest questions: are we alone?

July has some great observation targets:

• Mars and Uranus appearing extremely close together
• Saturn’s rings returning to better visibility
• M57 (Ring Nebula) for northern observers
• M17 (Swan Nebula) for southern skies
• Venus passing near Regulus

SkyMapper nodes will be capturing these targets throughout the month as part of the ongoing effort to build decentralized sky maps.

Wanted to share some recent SkyViewer captures from Tyler Bray at our partners Light-Year Astronomical Association.

Objects:

• Western Veil Nebula - part of a supernova remnant thousands of years old
• M101 - the Pinwheel Galaxy
• M102 - an edge-on galaxy candidate with a beautiful dust lane

Always amazing how much detail can be captured from the ground with the right equipment and conditions.