MAP ALL THE SKY, ALL OF THE TIME

SIGNALS

A SkyMapper Newsletter Volume 2 June 10, 2025

WELCOME

Welcome to the Skymapper newsletter! Join our global community of astronomers, researchers, and enthusiasts as we share the latest in sky monitoring, discoveries, and technology. Stay connected with the expanding universe—right from your inbox.

FEATURED DISCOVERY

A potential new dwarf planet was just discovered at the edge of our solar system

The trans-Neptunian object 2017 OF201 has a rare, highly elongated orbit—coming near Pluto at its closest and stretching about 36 times farther at its farthest point. It takes 25,000 years to complete one orbit, making it one of the most distant known objects in our solar system. Measuring around 700 km wide, it’s about one-third the size of Pluto and qualifies as a dwarf planet.

Discovered by detecting unexpected points of light in visible images covering a sky area roughly 50 times the size of the full Moon, collected over seven years, this finding highlights that even after decades of study, we are still uncovering new parts of our solar system. It underscores the immense value of mapping “all the sky, all the time.”

Click for more infomation

Composite image showing five dwarf planets recognized by the International Astronomical Union, plus newly discovered trans-Neptunian object 2017 OF201.

Images of dwarf planets: NASA/JPL-Caltech; image of 2017 OF201: Sihao Cheng et al.

Image: CBS News

IN THE NEWS

SpaceX Dragon’s Sonic Boom Stirs Southern California

On Saturday night, many in Southern California heard a brief sonic boom
as SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere and
splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. The Dragon capsule, which
regularly carries astronauts and cargo, is designed for controlled reentry
and recovery, ensuring both safety and precision.
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SkyMapper’s all-sky monitoring will allow early detection of future
reentries like this — so you’ll be able to receive alerts before hearing the
next sonic boom overhead. This is just one way SkyMapper is helping
make space events less threatening, more accessible and engaging for
everyone

Click for more infomation

COMMUNITY
HIGHLIGHTS

SkyMapper and EHBE Join to Expand Space Exploration
Access for First Nation Communities

Skymapper and EHBE are collaborating to make space exploration more accessible and engaging by combining SkyMapper’s telescope infrastructure with EHBE’s immersive “Edventure” community programs. This partnership aims to empower learning, discovery, and scientific advancement through a community-driven ecosystem.
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The agreement ensures both organizations benefit fairly as the community grows, with a value-sharing system that starts with fiat rewards and will evolve into tokenization, keeping community impact central.

Image: CBS News

Skymapper out And about

Solana Accelerate, May 19-23, NYC

We sent our two co-founders (Stefaan and Franck) to Solana’s Accelerate to see new opportunities for innovation and collaboration in blockchain and decentralized infrastructure. They mingled, connected and identified new collaborations and opportunities.

Click to watch the video

Modern Luxury Silicon Valley’s Best of Innovation,
April 24, Mountain View, CA

CEO Franck Marchis and Exequiel Martini enjoy an evening discussing luxury and innovation in space exploration in the company of 18 year old single malt scotch whiskey, flying cars and a quadruped robot.

On Assignment

Daniel Peluso, PhD (Astrophysics) represents SkyMapper at Conference for Advancing Participatory Sciences (CAPS), May 27-30, Portland, OR

Here’s Dan’s summary:

‍At the 2025 Conference for Advancing Participatory Science in Portland, I learned the importance of the “Four R’s”—Responsibility, Relevance, Reciprocity, and Respect—in building meaningful collaborations with Indigenous communities. Speakers stressed the value of listening, humility, and co-creating projects that prioritize community needs.‍

‍My studies in Indigenous astronomy introduced me to “two-eyed seeing” (etuaptmumk), which blends Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. SkyMapper is encouraged to adopt both the Four R’s and etuaptmumk, as doing so will expand its efforts to democratize astronomy, build stronger Indigenous partnerships, and integrate diverse knowledge sy

stems, creating opportunities for broader cultural engagement and empowerment.‍The conference also highlighted how participatory science and citizen-driven data collection can democratize discovery and expand community involvement, aligning perfectly with SkyMapper’s mission to broaden global participation in astronomy.

We sent one of our scientists, Daniel Peluso, to CAPS, the leading annual event for participatory science, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and community leaders to exchange ideas and showcase innovative projects.

PLATFORM UPDATES

Path to Beta: Major Tech Team Milestones (Q2):

On track for Beta Version Launch Jun 30, 2025.
Here’s a snapshot of our new and improved features:
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‍Observation & Control
SkyMapper delivers real-time, distributed monitoring and control of multiple telescopes and observation devices, featuring precision on Go To and RaDec targeting, advanced command-line tools & features, and enhanced imaging capabilities for seamless sky exploration.

‍Blockchain Integration
We’re harnessing blockchain technology to securely store and share astronomical data, integrating private node networks and public smart contracts for transparent, decentralized operations across the SkyMapper community.

‍Platform Infrastructure
Our infrastructure upgrades include the Skychain Explorer for network insights, seamless API integrations, support for FITS astronomy file format, and robust security enhancements with Wireguard Skymapper´s Protocol.

‍User Interface (UI) & Alerts
The Astroviewer UI has been refreshed with intuitive navigation and real-time alerts, ensuring a new and user experience for all SkyMapper users.

‍Tokenomics & Video
We’re evolving our blockchain-based tokenomics and introducing direct client-side video playback, unlocking new ways to engage and add value within the SkyMapper platform.

‍IoT DevelopmentDevelopment of the Skygate DePin IoT device is progressing, with ongoing design, manufacturing, and testing to expand and strengthen SkyMapper’s connected ecosystem.