Golden Ears Observatory

03/04/2026

We’ve officially kicked off March with the discovery of AT 2026eva, a new variable star candidate! 🌟 This follows hot on the heels of our February discovery, AT 2026ceu, making it our second find of the year.
This brings our all-time discovery total to 94! We are now just a handful away from the big 100. Stay tuned as we keep our eyes on the skies! 🔭✨

https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2026eva
https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2026ceu

Send a message to learn more

12/24/2025

Warm holiday wishes from Golden Ears Observatory to everyone who follows us.

This year was a solid one for the Golden Ears Observatory Transient Survey (GEOTS). Despite Vancouver’s often cloudy and rainy skies, we have now reached 92 transient discoveries since inception, including supernovae, novae, and dwarf novae. We also remain in the top 20 worldwide for transient discoveries, something we’re very proud of.

Other highlights in 2025:

- Approximately 32,000 minor planet observations submitted to the Minor Planet Centre

- 24 discovery confirmations

- Mentioned in 67 Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPECs)

Looking ahead, Golden Ears Observatory will be launching another very wide-field telescope rig, paired with our custom-written transient detection software, SNOW (Super Nova Observatory Watch). This new system is designed specifically to detect and discover bright transients across the night sky, and we’re excited about what it will bring in the coming year.

More information:
https://interstellargalactic.com/?page_id=154

https://www.jostjahn.de/stations/U55.html

https://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2025/snstats.html

Wishing everyone happy holidays and clear skies ahead as we head into the new year — with our sights set on 100 transient discoveries :-)

supernova discoveries statistics

07/30/2025

Solar prominence observed on the North Western limb from Golden Ears Observatory on July 29, 2025, at 11:04 PST. Captured using a Quark filter and ASI178MM camera.

07/30/2025

Solar prominence observed on the South Eastern limb from Golden Ears Observatory on July 29, 2025, at 10:40 PST. Captured using a Quark filter and ASI178MM camera. The prominence extends several tens of thousands of kilometers above the Sun's surface.

07/24/2025

🌟 Discovery #75! 🌟

On the night of July 23, 2025, Golden Ears Observatory made its 75th discovery — a faint transient spotted in the constellation Andromeda, just southeast of the Andromeda Galaxy.

🔭 Read the discovery details here: [https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2025ryg](https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2025ryg)

Here’s to many more discoveries in 2025! 🚀✨

06/05/2025

Solar Prominence observed on 04 June, 2025 from Golden Ears Observatory at 17:54 local time.

05/04/2025

During the month of April 2025, Golden Ears Observatory reported its first two transient discoveries of the year. The first, designated AT 2025gsf, was identified on the night of April 4, followed by AT 2025imo on April 27. Both transients are believed to be dwarf novae based on their photometric characteristics. These early spring detections mark a promising start to the observing season, with anticipation of favorable conditions and continued discoveries through the summer months.

Here are the links:

https://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=10848564
https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2025gsf

02/14/2025

This is a very wide field-of-view of the Orion belt shot with one of the observatory's telescopes.

12/28/2024

✨Year-End Highlights from Golden Ears Observatory (MPC Station U55) ✨

As 2024 draws to a close, we are proud to reflect on a year of astronomical success. Golden Ears Observatory operated on most of the clear nights, making valuable contributions to citizen science and the field of amateur astronomy. Here's a look at our accomplishments:

🔭 6,000+ observations submitted to the Minor Planet Center in 2024, bringing our total since May 2021 to 25,271!
🌍 15 discovery confirmations, where Golden Ears Observatory helped confirm minor planet discoveries of leading professional observatories.
☄️ Astrometry of 55 PHAs, Comets and NEOs submitted to the Minor Planet Center.
🌀 Astrometry of 273 unusual or critical asteroids and 2000+ regular asteroids sent to the Minor Planet Center.

(Credit: https://www.jostjahn.de/stations/U55.html)

Golden Ears Observatory also made strides in exoplanet observations this year, submitting data on planets orbiting other stars to the AAVSO. We look forward to contributing more in 2025!

Our supernova search survey, GEOTS, also had remarkable success. Golden Ears Observatory was ranked in the top 20 observatories worldwide for transient discoveries, with 21 discoveries, surpassing the James Webb Space Telescope’s 19 transient discoveries.
(Credit: https://rochesterastronomy.org/sn2024/snstats.html)

This year, we also made two extragalactic nova discoveries in the Andromeda Galaxy. These findings were confirmed by numerous professional observatories around the world, including ATLAS, GOTO, and Master.

🤖 In 2024, we implemented an AI-based automatic detection of asteroids from sky survey data collected at the observatory. The mastermind behind this innovation is Laura Murphy, a volunteer at Golden Ears Observatory who successfully defended her Master's thesis on this topic titled, "Using Machine Learning to Optimize Near-Earth Object Sighting Data at the Golden Ears Observatory." Congratulations, Laura! 🎉 (https://kth.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1834109&dswid=-3237)

In the coming year, we are planning to expand our capabilities and continue making exciting discoveries.

The attached sky coverage map for 2024 shows the area of the northern hemisphere covered by our telescope and camera system. Each rectangle represents the field of view of our camera.

🔗 For all discoveries, visit our discovery webpage (https://goldenearsobservatory.com/?page_id=154).

Stay tuned for more updates in 2025! 🚀

12/28/2024

Check out this stunning wide-field view of the nebulae in the constellation of Cepheus! This image showcases a rich star-forming region, located about 2,400 light-years away, with the iconic Bubble Nebula visible at the top center. The striking blue regions in the image represent the presence of ionized oxygen (OIII), adding to the vibrant colors and intricate details. Captured under clear December skies at the Golden Ears Observatory with a Takahashi FSQ85-EDX using narrowband filters, it took 16 hours of exposure to bring out these stunning features. Space really knows how to put on a show!

11/17/2024

Thor's Helmet (NGC 2359) is a dramatic and intricate emission nebula located about 12,000 light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. This close-up view highlights the helmet-like structure, sculpted by powerful stellar winds from a central Wolf-Rayet star nearing the end of its life. Captured with a Takahashi FSQ85-EDX using narrowband filters, this image represents 24 hours of exposure taken over several nights in October. The fine details and vibrant colors bring out the dynamic beauty of this cosmic masterpiece.