CosmicWatch: Building an Open-Source AI Observatory for Unusual Radio Signals

We built CosmicWatch, an open-source AI system that analyzes astronomical radio-signal data and identifies unusual candidates that may deserve human investigation.
Radio telescopes generate huge amounts of data, making manual inspection difficult. CosmicWatch uses a lightweight CNN for signal detection, Isolation Forest for anomaly detection, candidate scoring for prioritization, and an open-weight LLM for explaining why a candidate was flagged.
CosmicWatch does not claim to detect aliens. Instead, it identifies unusual radio-signal patterns that researchers can investigate further, with SETI as one of its key applications.
Tech: Python, PyTorch, FastAPI, React, Tailwind, BLIMPY, Isolation Forest
GitHub:

vj450-cpu / hacktoberfest-hack-day-coimbatore-x-init-club-and-idea-club

COSMICWATCH

Open-source AI astronomical anomaly detection and candidate-prioritization system for radio SETI and Breakthrough Listen observations.

Team

Team Name: CosmicWatch Triage

Member	Contribution
Vijay (vj450-cpu)	Lead AI Engineer & Full-Stack Architect: Ingestion pipeline, dual-layer AI, candidate engine, FastAPI & React observatory dashboard

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⚠️ CRITICAL SCIENTIFIC & ETHICAL MANDATE

CosmicWatch is NOT an "alien detector". Never claim that the system detects extraterrestrial life. The system detects unusual statistical anomalies/candidate signals and recommends candidates for human radio telescope investigation. All performance metrics originate from actual held-out empirical experiments ($N=200$, seed: 7777). We do not invent accuracy, astronomical objects, or false extraterrestrial claims.

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Scientific Taxonomy & Distinctions

To ensure scientific honesty and rigor, CosmicWatch explicitly separates:

1. Observed Astronomical Data: Authentic radio observations from public Breakthrough Listen archives (.fil and .h5 files) ingested via BLIMPY.
2. Synthetic Demonstration Data: Controlled artificial signal injections (narrowband, Doppler drift, intermittent carriers, bursts, and…

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Built for Hacktoberfest Hack Day Coimbatore 2026.

We don't claim to have found aliens. We built a system that helps humans decide what not to ignore.