Falsifiable target
A narrow phenotype prevents the catalog from absorbing every strange light and makes the project falsifiable.
Phenomenon
What exactly are we looking for?
A narrow family of Foo Fighter-like luminous events: compact red-orange lights that hover, drift, change direction, move in pairs, separate, merge or fade to black.
The simple version
The target is not every strange light in the sky. HEDHub starts with a visual and kinematic family that can be explained to a visitor in seconds and then tested by instruments.
- Color: red, orange, amber, plasma-like or white-hot in sensor-only cases.
- Shape: compact point, sphere, shield, halo or paired lights.
- Behavior: hover, lateral travel, paired geometry, sudden fade, stop-and-go or non-ballistic return.
Positive and negative traits
| Signal we seek | Why it matters | Reject first | Data needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red-orange compact glow | Matches Altea, PR002 and PR004 official/case material. | Lantern, aircraft light, flare, bokeh. | Original file, exposure, focus, lens, direction. |
| Hover or slow translation | Separates the family from meteors and reentries. | Drone, helicopter, distant aircraft. | Timebase, horizon, camera stability, ADS-B. |
| Direction change or stop-and-go | Motion is more important than color alone. | Parallax, hand motion, tracking error. | Frame-by-frame track, stabilization, second station. |
| Fade to black | Suggests visibility can switch off instead of simply burning out. | Cloud, occlusion, exposure shift. | Sky context, weather, synchronized wide view. |
Why narrow definitions matter
Protects credibility
Weak clips can remain in the catalog as controls without being promoted as evidence.
Guides hardware
The station design follows the target: color, motion, time sync, triangulation and rejection checks.