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Updated 22 March 2026 at 22:06
generalDiscoverWestman· 12h ago

DIY sky camera to put Pembina Valley on global astronomy network

To many, Kenton Dyck, the founder of the Pembina Valley’s Astro Club, is the face of astronomy in the region. Since the club was established, Dyck has held a number of sky-viewing events in the area (and beyond it), visited classrooms to speak on the topic, and grown his collection of the equipment that makes it all possible. Recently, he has embarked on a new project that will continue to expand the Astro Club’s capacity — and he’s building it himself. A valuable piece of equipment not commercially available Dyck is constructing an AllSky Camera, a device that monitors the night sky and captures images at set intervals. Although the camera configuration has a dedicated community of users worldwide, it’s not a commercially available product, so those who use it must build the device themselves. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/dwm-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1633706069349-bbm1'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1633706069349]) s.setTargeting('story_id', 'diy-sky-camera-to-put-pembina-valley-on-global-astronomy-network'); s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); This journey includes delicate processes such as soldering wires and writing custom code. 'If there is a lightning strike anywhere within 150 kilometres, I will know about it’ The astrophotography setup, which will be encapsulated in a small box, will continuously point at the sky, says Dyck. “As soon as it gets dark out, this AllSky Camera will turn on, and it'll start imaging the sky every two seconds,” he explained. “I'm building sensors in it that will ... be able to do things like track meteors as they streak in. It will take that little flash of light, and it will record that.” Related stories: An astronomical year with the Pembina Valley Astro Club Local astronomer Kenton Dyck receives royal nod for community influence He added that the setup will also be able to record aurora and weather patterns because it will be fitted with a magnetometer (which measures magnetic fields to help detect aurora and space weather) and a barometer (which measures air pressure). googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/dwm-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1633706069349-bbm2'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1633706069349]) s.setTargeting('story_id', 'diy-sky-camera-to-put-pembina-valley-on-global-astronomy-network'); s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); “Basically, any tool that you would use to measure atmospheric conditions will be put into this little box, and it will constantly be recording that information and sending it to a server that I will have at my house,” he said. “To give you an idea of just how sensitive this device will be once it's done, if there is a lightning strike anywhere within 150 kilometres, I will know about it.” A part of a global network accessible from anywhere As is typical with the astronomy projects Dyck takes on, the images the AllSky Camera captures will be accessible to everyone, both within the Pembina Valley and far beyond it. “You will be able to log into this camera from anywhere on earth at any point and see what it's seeing,” he said. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/dwm-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1633706069349-bbm3'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1633706069349]) s.setTargeting('story_id', 'diy-sky-camera-to-put-pembina-valley-on-global-astronomy-network'); s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); The astronomer added that the camera’s accessibility is a “cool little feature,” but the equipment’s main purpose will be to capture time-lapse footage of the sky every night and condense it into short videos. “It will have time stamps, so if a meteor streaks over, it will automatically log the time and date of when that happened and its direction.” The camera will also feed into the global AllSkyCams network, which consists of similar setups across the planet from fellow astronomy and meteorology enthusiasts. Astro Club’s AllSky Camera will be the first in the network in the prairie provinces, and the third in Canada overall. “They're all interconnected, and so they're all communicating with each other and sharing data,” he said. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/dwm-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1633706069349-bbm4'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1633706069349]) s.setTargeting('story_id', 'diy-sky-camera-to-put-pembina-valley-on-global-astronomy-network'); s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); A grassroots effort for science Dyck said that the AllSky Camera — once it’s completed — will be “the closest thing” to a meteorological weather station and monitoring system. While it’s a project inspired by passion for looking skyward, it’s also a means of collecting valuable data for the science community at the grassroots level. “One of the drives behind this project was that last year, ... a lot of funding was cut at NASA, and just science funding overall,” said Dyck. “So what you have is a lot of scientists reaching out to the general public and saying, ‘It's very hard to get telescope time, so instead of getting one big telescope, like the James Webb telescope, let's get a bunch of them.’” When it comes to the project's progress, Dyck said he has already begun programming the camera, but he’s still waiting for some sensors to arrive. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/dwm-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1633706069349-bbm5'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1633706069349]) s.setTargeting('story_id', 'diy-sky-camera-to-put-pembina-valley-on-global-astronomy-network'); s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); As he advances, he has also drawn on the expertise of community members to help with the project — all in the name of love for astronomy. “I think it'll be cool in its own little way,” he said. To keep up to date on its projects and events, see the Astro Club page on Instagram. With files from Jayme Giesbrecht and Ty Hildebrand

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