DeepSpaceYoloDataset: an annotated set of smart telescopes images

During the MILAN research project (MachIne Learning for AstroNomy), we have compiled a large collection of deep sky images during Electronically Assisted Astronomy sessions in Luxembourg, France, Belgium. We have used two instruments for several months (from March 2022 to September 2023): a Stellina smart telescope (https://vaonis.com/stellina) and a Vespera smart telescope (https://vaonis.com/vespera).We have captured data for a representative set of deep sky objects from the Messier / NGC / IC / Sharpless2 / Barnard catalogues.Different types of celestial objects were considered: emission/reflection/dark/planetary nebula, galaxies, globular/open clusters.Images were obtained after the capture and the stacking of sub-frames of 10 seconds exposure time.Training images were splitted into 608x608 patches.Based on the YOLOv7 format, the dataset is a ZIP file containing 4696 RGB images, and the corresponding 4696 labels text files with the positions of deep sky objets in the images. In 2026, we expanded the dataset with a new set of 335 high-resolution images obtained by stacking multiple nights of observations conducted between March 2022 and April 2026. These higher-quality images were manually annotated and then added to the test2026 directory, enabling a more in-depth evaluation of deep sky objects detection models. This research was initially funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), grant reference 15872557. More information about the MILAN project: https://www.fnr.lu/results-2021-1-bridges-call/.More information about the MILAN2 project: https://researchportal.list.lu/projects/detail/milan2. More information about VAONIS instruments: https://vaonis.com More information about Luxembourg of Science and Technology (LIST): https://www.list.lu Data license for files: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International本研究依托MILAN研究项目（MachIne Learning for AstroNomy，机器学习与天文学），在卢森堡、法国、比利时开展电子辅助天文观测期间，构建了大规模深空图像数据集。 本研究于2022年3月至2023年9月的数月间，使用两款智能望远镜进行观测：Stellina智能望远镜（https://vaonis.com/stellina）与Vespera智能望远镜（https://vaonis.com/vespera）。观测对象涵盖源自梅西耶（Messier）、NGC、IC、沙普利斯2（Sharpless2）、巴纳德（Barnard）星表的代表性深空天体，包含发射星云、反射星云、暗星云、行星状星云、星系、球状星团与疏散星团等多种天体类型。 所获图像通过堆叠10秒曝光的子帧得到，训练图像被裁剪为608×608的图像块。本数据集基于YOLOv7格式打包为ZIP压缩包，内含4696张RGB图像及对应的4696个标签文本文件，用于标注图像内深空天体的位置。 2026年，本数据集得到扩充：新增335张高分辨率深空图像，这些图像通过堆叠2022年3月至2026年4月期间多晚的观测数据生成，经人工标注后被加入test2026目录，可用于更深入地评估深空目标检测模型。 本研究最初由卢森堡国家研究基金（FNR）资助，资助编号为15872557。 更多关于MILAN项目的信息可参考：https://www.fnr.lu/results-2021-1-bridges-call/；关于MILAN2项目的信息可参考：https://researchportal.list.lu/projects/detail/milan2。 关于VAONIS仪器的详情可访问：https://vaonis.com。 关于卢森堡科学与技术研究院（LIST）的信息可参考：https://www.list.lu。 本数据集文件的授权协议为：署名-非商业性使用-禁止演绎 4.0 国际版（Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International）。