Welcome to the SkyMapper network

You're a SkyKeeper.
Your telescope just joined a planet-scaled network.

Plug in your SkyBridge and your telescope becomes a node in a global network - mapping the sky around the clock, contributing to real science, and earning you rewards while you sleep.

Set up in 9 steps → See how it works

You're joining a large, active network - SkyKeeper telescopes on sky around the world, around the clock.

SKYBRIDGE YOUR TELESCOPE THE NETWORK
Your role in the network

Three things to keep in mind

You don't have to be an astronomer. By keeping your telescope online and available, you become essential infrastructure for a shared, verifiable view of the sky.

01

Your telescope is an important node in the network

When your scope is online, it joins the shared pool, so the network can point it at targets - even while you sleep or travel.

02

The SkyQ does the work

SkyMapper's automated brain, the SkyQ, schedules observations - satellites, comets, transients, planetary defense. You don't lift a finger.

03

You earn & co-author

Every verified observation earns SkyPoints and can credit you as a contributor to real discoveries across the network.

How the system works

From your backyard to the network

The SkyBridge is a small device that sits near your telescope - indoors is fine, as long as it stays within your telescope's Wi-Fi range (typically up to 60 feet). It links your scope to SkyMapper over your home Wi-Fi - turning a personal instrument into a trusted, always-on node.

Your telescope

Your existing scope - no astronomy expertise needed.

SkyBridge

Plugs in once, runs on its own over Wi-Fi, 24/7.

SkyMapper network

The SkyQ points scopes at real science targets.

Verified data & rewards

Every observation is blockchain-verified. You earn SkyPoints for it.

What joining implies: keep your SkyBridge powered and online as much as you can. The more your scope is available, the more the network can do - and the more you earn. There's no cost to participate beyond the device and your power/internet.

Before you set up

Three resources for every SkyKeeper

Join the community, keep support one click away, and know how to reach us. Keep these handy - then set up your SkyBridge below.

Set up your SkyBridge

Nine steps to first light

Follow these instructions once with a computer nearby. After setup, the SkyBridge runs on its own - you won't need the computer again. Stuck on any step? Open a support ticket and we'll help.

Phase 1 · Plug it in
  1. 1

    Plug in the power

    Take the power cable from the box. Plug the small oval USB-C end into the oval power port on your SkyBridge (the third opening from the left), then plug the other end into a wall outlet. After about 20 seconds, the small lights on the front start to blink - that means it's powering on.

    SkyBridge back panel showing the Ethernet ports and USB-C power port
Phase 2 · Connect to setup
  1. 2

    Connect a cable to your computer

    Take an Ethernet cable (the wide, flat internet cable). Plug one end into Ethernet Port 2 on your SkyBridge - that's the network port closest to the power cable - and plug the other end into your computer or laptop. When a small green light appears next to that port, your computer is connected.

    Ethernet cable plugged into Ethernet Port 2 on the SkyBridge
  2. 3

    Open the setup page

    On your computer, open a web browser (Chrome, Safari, or any other). Click the address bar at the top, type 192.168.5.1 and press Enter - this opens the SkyBridge setup page. Click the Log in button, type root in the Username box, and leave the Password box empty. Click Log in again to open the dashboard.

    SkyBridge login screen - username root, password left empty
Phase 3 · Name your SkyBridge
  1. 4

    Give your SkyBridge a name

    Still in the dashboard, click the System menu at the top, then click System in the list that drops down. Click the Hostname box and type a name you'll recognize - this is how your SkyBridge shows up on the network. Then click Save & Apply in the bottom right-hand corner. The new name can take a while to show up - that's normal. No need to wait; carry on to the next step.

    System page - type your SkyBridge's name in the Hostname field, then click Save & Apply
Phase 4 · Link your telescope
  1. 5

    Find the wireless settings

    At the top of the dashboard, click the Network menu, then click Wireless in the list that drops down. In the Wireless Overview list, find your telescope's connection and click its Edit button. Look for your telescope's Wi-Fi name (its SSID) - you'll need it in the next step.

    Wireless Overview list - find your telescope's network and click Edit
  2. 6

    Enter your telescope's Wi-Fi

    This screen connects your telescope. Click inside the ESSID box and type the exact name of your telescope's Wi-Fi network - the same name its app uses. If your telescope's Wi-Fi has a password: click the Wireless Security tab, open the Encryption dropdown and choose WPA2-PSK (high security), then click the Key box and type the telescope's password. When you're done, click the Save button, then click Save & Apply. The SkyBridge will now connect to your telescope.

    Wireless settings - enter your telescope's Wi-Fi name in the ESSID box
Phase 5 · Get online & verify
  1. 7

    Have your home Wi-Fi ready

    Now you'll connect the SkyBridge to your home internet. Have your home Wi-Fi name and password ready. In the Wireless Overview list, find your home Wi-Fi connection and click its Edit button. Tip: use your 5.0 GHz network - that's the band the SkyBridge should connect to.

    Wireless Overview - find your home Wi-Fi network and click Edit
  2. 8

    Connect to your home Wi-Fi

    In the ESSID box, type your home Wi-Fi network name exactly. Click the Wireless Security tab, then click the Key box and type your home Wi-Fi password. Click the Save button, then click Save & Apply. After a few seconds, the SkyBridge connects to your home network.

    Home Wi-Fi settings - enter your network name in ESSID and password under Wireless Security
  3. 9

    Confirm the connection to SkyMapper

    This last step checks the SkyBridge's secure connection (its VPN) to SkyMapper. At the top, click Network, then Interfaces. Find the wg0 interface (its protocol reads WireGuard VPN) and look at its RX value - that's data being received, and it should be greater than 0. If RX shows 0, click the Restart button next to it, wait a few seconds, then check again - RX should now be above 0. That means you're fully connected.

    Network Interfaces - check the WG (WireGuard) RX value; click Restart if it shows 0

What happens next - you can unplug your computer

The computer is only needed during setup. Once you're connected, keep the SkyBridge plugged in near your telescope - it runs automatically over Wi-Fi, 24/7. You only repeat this setup if you change your Wi-Fi network.

Before you observe

See yourself on the map

Once your SkyBridge is online, you appear as a live dot on the SkyMapper network. Do this quick check before your first observation.

The live network map with a tooltip open on a dot, showing the telescope's name, location, and status
  1. Open the network map and find your dot - it's where your telescope lives. Hover over a dot to see which telescope it is and confirm it's yours.
  2. Check the location is right. The SkyBridge finds its position by GPS, and that can take a while - especially indoors or in a basement. Until it locks on, your dot can sit at coordinates 0,0 and no observation will be possible. If your spot looks wrong, give it time or move the SkyBridge closer to a window or the sky.
  3. Green means go. Once your dot shows green in the right place, create your SkyViewer account and run your first observation below.
Your observation platform

Create your SkyViewer account

SkyViewer is the web app where you run observations and explore the network. Setting up your SkyBridge connects your telescope to SkyMapper; creating a free SkyViewer account is how you sign in and start observing. It takes about a minute.

  1. Open app.skymapper.io and create your free account with an email and password - no crypto wallet needed.
  2. Confirm your email. We'll send a confirmation link - click it to activate your account. If it doesn't arrive within a few minutes, check your spam folder.
  3. Sign in and you're ready. Head to your first observation below to connect your telescope and capture the sky.
Create your SkyViewer account →
After setup

A first observation with your telescope

Here's the whole flow from login to your first image, in 90 seconds: open SkyViewer, connect to your telescope, pick a target from the catalogue, and watch the photons roll in. It doubles as your end-to-end check - if your images come in, your whole setup works. The waiting parts are sped up; a real observation takes a few minutes.

Log in → connect to your scope → choose a target from the catalogue → point to target → start observing. Your images land in your gallery automatically.

Prefer written steps? Download the guide: How to Create an Astrophoto in 10 Minutes (PDF).

How you contribute

Now share the sky

Leave your telescope outside when the weather allows it and plug your SkyBridge in nearby - it isn't waterproof, so keep it sheltered. Connect to your telescope, check the focus - that's it, you're sharing your sky. From here, your telescope's dot on the World Map tells the story:

  • Green - your telescope is connected and not busy. It's available for the network and for you.
  • Yellow - someone is controlling your telescope remotely right now.
  • Blue - the SkyQ, SkyMapper's automated science queue, is running an observation. That's your scope contributing to real science.
  • Gray - your telescope is connected to the App locally. Disconnect the App and forget the telescope's Wi-Fi to bring it back to the network.
  • Red - your telescope isn't connected. Contact us and we'll help you troubleshoot.

The more your telescope stays outside, online, and available, the more the network can do - and the more you earn. Leave the SkyBridge plugged in; the network takes it from here.

Stuck on yellow after a session? Toggle the SkyBridge Wi-Fi off and on - a quick reset usually returns you to green. (We're making this automatic.) Still stuck? Open a support ticket.

What you get in exchange

Rewards that add up while you sleep

Two simple ideas: SkyPoints are what you earn for keeping your scope online and contributing. SkyCredits are what you spend on observing time - the Observatory plan, included with your SkyBridge, grants you 125 every billing cycle.

  • The Observatory plan, included - serious telescope access and priority support, with 125 SkyCredits granted every billing cycle.
  • Earn for uptime - SkyPoints accrue just for keeping your scope online and available.
  • Earn for observations - every verified capture the SkyQ runs on your scope pays out SkyPoints.
  • Co-authorship option - get credited as a contributor on the science campaigns your scope supports.
125
SkyCredits / month
Granted every billing cycle with the Observatory plan, included with your SkyBridge. Spend them on observing time in SkyViewer - and keep earning SkyPoints for every hour on sky.

Soon: you'll be able to convert your SkyPoints into SkyCredits - turning time on sky into more observing time.