Observations and design of a new neuromorphic event-based all-sky and fixed region imaging system

Current efforts in optical Space Situational Awareness (SSA), astronomy, and meteorology have seen success with typical Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) imaging. However, recent innovations made possible by Event-Based Cameras (EBCs) have opened new possibilities in imaging through the use of an asynchronous stream of individual change events triggered by changes in light intensity on a pixel-by-pixel basis. In this paper we demonstrate a series of experiments with EBCs employed in all-sky and fixed-region imaging systems. We explore all-sky observing with a circular fish-eye lens for a wide distorted view of the sky, and explore their use in a motorised pan-tilt mount for aerial scanning with a 12mm C-mount lens. We also examine narrow Field of View (FOV) fixed-point scenarios with an EBC mounted on a 600mm Ritchey-Chr´etien telescope. Additionally, we demonstrate the robustness of the EBCs with an 8-inch Riccardi-Honders telescope mounted in an urban building, observing through a west-facing window. Our results show these configurations are robust to typically difficult observing conditions with successful detection of fast-moving objects in low earth orbit, and the detection of faint stars whilst observing a fixed region. Additionally, we demonstrate detections and resolved features of various aircraft. Finally, we captured day-time meteorological data with 360_ imaging of detailed cloud morphology. Employing this new imaging paradigm in an all-sky and fixed-point imaging system successfully demonstrates the novel event-based sensing approach as a new means to robustly imaging faint, high-speed and distant objects.