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Technology would combine thermal sensing and machine learning algorithms to identify visual and behavioral anomalies in terrestrial airspace
In recent years, interest in unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) has grown. Since the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a report with declassified information in 2021, new initiatives have emerged to investigate these phenomena more precisely.
Among them, a new study led by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and the Galileo Project stands out.
The study proposes using an All-Sky Infrared Camera, called Dalek, to capture evidence of anomalous objects in the sky. The proposal was presented at the 2025 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held March 10-14 in The Woodlands, Texas.
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The creation of the Dalek
The instrument, nicknamed Dalek because of its resemblance to mechanical characters from the TV series Doctor Who, is part of a broader technical effort to obtain reliable data on UAPs. The study is led by Laura Domine, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and a researcher on the Galileo Project.
She worked with colleagues from the CfA, the Whitin Observatory, the Science Coalition for UAP Studies, and the Atlas Lens Co. The proposal follows recommendations made by the NASA in 2023, which guided the development of sensors aimed at detecting these aerial phenomena.
According to this NASA study, sensors must capture data on millisecond time scales. In addition, they must be able to record the movement, shape, color, sounds and other characteristics of the objects observed.
A new kind of observatory
The paper presented at the conference describes Dalek as a multimodal and multispectral ground-based observatory. It is the first instrument commissioned at the Galileo Institute, where it has also undergone calibration.
Professor Avi Loeb, director of the CfA's Institute for Theory and Computation and head of the Galileo Project, explained in an email to Universe Today that the Dalek is part of a network of three observatories.
One is located at Harvard University, while two others are under construction in Pennsylvania and Nevada.
These observatories analyze the sky in infrared, optical, radio and audio ranges. The goal is to identify objects that exhibit unusual behavior or characteristics that are not compatible with known human technologies.
According to Loeb, one of the advantages of the Galileo Project is the transparency of the data, as opposed to information kept secret by government agencies. As he pointed out: “The sky is not classified. "
Database with 1 million objects
Loeb said each observatory detects about 100.000 objects per month. This has resulted in a database of approximately 1 million objects analyzed. It is the largest systematically assembled collection of near-Earth objects (NEOs).
To process this data, the Galileo Project uses artificial intelligence. The systems apply the “You Only Look Once” (YOLO) model to detect objects and the “Simple Online and Realtime Tracking” (SORT) algorithm to track their trajectories.
These algorithms are trained to recognize common objects such as airplanes, drones, satellites, balloons and birds. From this, they can identify non-standard behaviors and classify the observed aerial phenomena, distinguishing what is known from what still requires investigation.
Results of the observatory's first five months
The article also presents a summary of the observatory's first five months of operation. During this period, around 500.000 objects were detected.
Approximately 16% of trajectories (~80.000) were flagged as outliers with 95% confidence. These were then manually reviewed using infrared imagery.
Of these, 144 trajectories remained ambiguous. According to the team, these are likely common objects that could not be identified due to a lack of distance data or other technical information.
Loeb explained that the goal now is to measure distances with triangulation between multiple detectors. This will allow the speed and acceleration of objects to be determined with greater precision. This will make it possible to confirm whether any of them are exhibiting truly anomalous behavior.
Comparison with government data
The Galileo data contrasts with reports from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), a branch of the U.S. Department of Defense. AARO says that about 3 percent of the cases it analyzes remain ambiguous. This is even using classified sensors and radar estimates.
The Galileo Project, even with more limited access to certain data, has managed to create an alternative and independent research model.
For Loeb, the ultimate goal of the project is to find among millions of records an object that presents technological properties not created by human beings. According to him, this type of discovery could indicate the existence of an extraterrestrial civilization.
"Even if one in a million demonstrated capabilities beyond man-made technologies, it would constitute the greatest scientific discovery ever made.”, he said. The team believes that, with this approach, it will be possible to deepen human knowledge about possible forms of life or technology outside Earth.
With information from Science Alert.
