The Scientific Investigation of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Using Multimodal Ground-Based Observatories
Wesley A. Watters, Abraham Loeb, Frank Laukien, et al.
Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation, Vol. 12, No. 1
Summary
The Galileo Project's technical paper describing the integrated sensor system for systematic UAP observation, published alongside `loeb-laukien-2023-galileo-overview` in the Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation's 2023 special issue. Authored by Wesley Watters (Wellesley College), Loeb, Laukien, and 20+ collaborators. Addresses classical objections to UAP research, presents the scientific motivation, and details the multimodal hardware and software architecture — cameras, microphones, radar, magnetometers, and machine learning classifiers — designed to capture, characterize, and reject conventional explanations for aerial observations. The methodological blueprint for the project's observatory network.
Abstract
We describe a multimodal ground-based observatory designed for the systematic scientific investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). The observatory integrates optical cameras, infrared sensors, radar, audio recording, magnetometers, and gravitational sensors in a synchronized array capable of obtaining simultaneous, co-registered data streams from any aerial object in the field of view. We address the epistemological and methodological challenges of UAP research, including the problem of rare and unrepeatable events, the need for calibrated physical measurements, and the importance of automated anomaly detection to overcome human observational biases. We describe the machine learning pipeline for classification and anomaly scoring, the data storage and analysis infrastructure, and the scientific criteria that distinguish genuinely anomalous objects from conventional aircraft, natural phenomena, and sensor artifacts. This observatory architecture is being deployed as part of the Galileo Project's systematic UAP investigation.
Citation
Wesley A. Watters, Abraham Loeb, Frank Laukien, et al.. (2023). Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation. Vol. 12. No. 1. DOI: 10.1142/S2251171723400068
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