{"id":554281,"date":"2026-03-23T00:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T00:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/554281\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T00:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T00:48:15","slug":"diy-sky-camera-to-put-pembina-valley-on-global-astronomy-network-pembinavalleyonline-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/554281\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY sky camera to put Pembina Valley on global astronomy network – PembinaValleyOnline.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

To many, Kenton Dyck, the founder of\u00a0the Pembina Valley\u2019s Astro Club<\/a>, is the face of astronomy in\u00a0the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since the club was\u00a0established, Dyck has held\u00a0a number of\u00a0sky-viewing events\u00a0in the area (and beyond it), visited classrooms to speak on the topic, and\u00a0grown\u00a0his collection of the equipment that makes it all possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recently,\u00a0he has embarked on a new project that will continue to expand the Astro Club\u2019s capacity \u2014 and\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0building it himself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A valuable piece of equipment not commercially available\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dyck is constructing an AllSky Camera, a device that monitors the night sky and captures images at set intervals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the camera configuration has a dedicated community of users worldwide, it\u2019s not a commercially available product, so those who use it must build the device themselves.<\/p>\n

This journey includes delicate processes such as soldering wires and writing custom code.<\/p>\n

‘If\u00a0there is a lightning strike anywhere within\u00a0150\u00a0kilometres, I will know about it\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

The astrophotography\u00a0setup, which will be encapsulated in a small box,\u00a0will continuously point at the sky,\u00a0says Dyck.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as it gets dark out, this\u00a0AllSky\u00a0Camera will turn on, and\u00a0it’ll\u00a0start\u00a0imaging\u00a0the sky every two seconds,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m\u00a0building sensors in it that will\u00a0…\u00a0be able to do things like track meteors as they streak in. It will take that little flash of\u00a0light,\u00a0and it will record that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related stories:<\/p>\n

He added that the\u00a0setup\u00a0will also be able to record\u00a0aurora\u00a0and weather patterns\u00a0because it will be fitted with a magnetometer (which measures magnetic fields to help detect aurora and space weather) and a barometer (which\u00a0measures air pressure).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically,\u00a0any 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,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo give you an idea of just how sensitive this device will be once it’s done, if there is a lightning strike anywhere within\u00a0150\u00a0kilometres, I will know about it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A part of a global network accessible from anywhere\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will be able to log into this camera from anywhere on earth at any point and see what\u00a0it’s\u00a0seeing,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The astronomer added that the camera\u2019s accessibility is a \u201ccool little feature,\u201d but the equipment\u2019s main purpose will\u00a0be to capture time-lapse footage of the sky every night and condense it into short videos.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u00a0will have time stamps, so\u00a0if a meteor streaks over, it will automatically log the time and date of when that happened and its direction.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The camera will also feed into the\u00a0global AllSkyCams network<\/a>, which\u00a0consists of similar setups across the planet from fellow astronomy and meteorology enthusiasts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Astro Club\u2019s\u00a0AllSky\u00a0Camera will be the first in the network in the prairie provinces, and the third in Canada overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re\u00a0all interconnected, and\u00a0so\u00a0they’re\u00a0all communicating with each other and sharing data,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A grassroots effort for science\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dyck said that the\u00a0AllSky\u00a0Camera \u2014 once\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0completed \u2014 will be \u201cthe closest thing\u201d to a meteorological weather station and monitoring system.<\/p>\n

While\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a project inspired by passion for looking skyward,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0also a means of collecting valuable data\u00a0for the science community at the grassroots level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the drives behind this project was\u00a0that\u00a0last year,\u00a0…\u00a0a lot of funding\u00a0was\u00a0cut\u00a0at\u00a0NASA, and just\u00a0science\u00a0funding overall,\u201d said Dyck.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u00a0what you have is a lot of scientists reaching out to the\u00a0general public\u00a0and saying,\u00a0\u2018It’s\u00a0very hard\u00a0to get telescope time, so instead of getting one big telescope, like the James Webb telescope,\u00a0let’s\u00a0get a bunch of them.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When it comes to the project’s progress, Dyck said he has already begun programming the camera, but he\u2019s still waiting for some sensors to arrive.<\/p>\n

As he advances, he has also drawn on the\u00a0expertise\u00a0of community members to help with the project\u00a0\u2014 all\u00a0in the name of love for\u00a0astronomy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’ll be cool in its own little way,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To keep up to date on its projects and events, see\u00a0the Astro Club page on Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With files from Jayme Giesbrecht and Ty Hildebrand<\/p>\n