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What is SiTian?

SiTian (Liu et al. 2021) is an ambitious ground-based all-sky optical monitoring project, developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The concept is an integrated network of dozens of 1-m-class telescopes deployed partly in China and partly at various other sites around the world. The main science goals are the detection, identification and monitoring of optical transients (such as gravitational wave events, fast radio bursts, supernovae) on the largely unknown timescales of less than 1 day; SiTian will also provide a treasure trove of data for studies of AGN, quasars, variable stars, planets, asteroids, and microlensing events. To achieve those goals, SiTian will scan at least 10,000 square deg of sky every 30 min, down to a detection limit of V≈21 mag. The scans will produce simultaneous light-curves in 3 optical bands. In addition, SiTian will include 4-m telescopes specifically allocated for follow-up spectroscopy of the most interesting targets.

SiTian imagE Procesessing (STEP) System

As a next-generation time-domain survey, several key challenges must be overcome to realize its ambitious scientific goals.

  • CMOS data Processing: To enhance survey speed and reduce costs, SiTian adopted CMOS detectors instead of CCDs. While CMOS offers a low-power, cost-effective alternative and has nearly matched the performance of CCDs, as described in Alarcon et al. 2023, it still faces limitations, such as the roll shutter's unsuitability for ultra-fast exposures and the "pepper & salt" (PS) effect at the pixel level. Once the advantages of CMOS in time-domain surveys are validated, it is poised to become a powerful tool, significantly reducing project costs and advancing modern astronomy.

  • Real-time Processing:

  • Big data management and storage:

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"A handbook of astronomical observations and data processing"

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