Citizen Science
Common Citizen Science Platforms
Zooniverse allows the public to access almost 100 active citizen science projects, making it an excellent platform to begin searching. There are projects of varying fields in science, and we have included most of their space-related projects in the specific categories below. Another platform that is commonly used to discover citizen science projects specific to space is NASA’s citizen science page.
Citizen Science Per Category
Asteroids and Meteors
Target Asteroids! is a project by NASA and Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) that asks participants who own a telescope to record observations on particular asteroids. This project will aid scientists in gaining a better understanding of the physical characteristics of asteroids and in refine their orbits. This program is related to Target NEOs!, which is for Astronomical League members.
Hubble Asteroid Hunter is a Zooniverse project that aims to identify asteroids in the archived images from the Hubble Space Telescope. This project will allow asteroid trajectories to be measured with higher accuracy and train a neural network to recognize asteroids in images.
Radio Meteor Zoo is a Zooniverse project that aims to identify meteors, especially during meteor showers, using BRAMS (Belgian RAdio Meteor Stations) radio data. Information about meteors and how to interpret BRAMS data can be found on the project site.
Exoplanets
Project PANOPTES (Panoptic Astronomical Networked Observatories for a Public Transiting Exoplanets Survey) is a worldwide project that aims to aid the public in building a low-cost, robotic telescope that can then be used to detect transiting exoplanets. Instructions on how to build and run a PANOPTES telescope can be found on the project site.
Planet Hunters TESS is a Zooniverse project that aims to detect transiting exoplanets using the recently launched TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) data. Information on detecting exoplanets and interpreting TESS data can be found on the project site.
Exoplanet Explorers is a Zooniverse project that aims to detect transiting exoplanets by using K2 data (the K2 Mission was the Kepler Telescope’s second mission). Information on transiting exoplanets and K2 can be found on the project site.
Agent Exoplanet is a project by the astronomers at Las Cumbres Observatory (LOC) where participants use data collected by LOC’s telescopes to measure the brightness of a star during a transit. Information on choosing an planet and analyzing data from an image can be found on the project site.
Exoplanet Watch is a NASA project that aims to discover and confirm exoplanets using small telescopes. Citizen scientists collect and analyze their own data on transiting exoplanets using a telescope and then share their results with the research community.
Planet Patrol is a Zooniverse project that aims to confirm exoplanet candidates observed from the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission. Information on detecting planets and false positives can be found on the project site.
Disk Detective is a Zooniverse project that aims to find the disks surrounding stars where planets form using data from a variety of missions. Information on the importance of disks and how to identify them can be found on the project site.
Particles and Spacetime
Quantum Moves is a game where participants move quantum atoms. The game is designed to simulate the logical operations of a quantum computer, and merges theoretical and experimental quantum research. To find more citizen science games, visit the Citizen Science Games website.
Muon Hunters 2.0 is a Zooniverse project that aims to find muon particles that are disguised as gamma rays using data from Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). The project uses a clustering approach for detection, and information on gamma-ray astronomy and interpreting VERITAS data can be found on the project site.
Space Warps – HSC is a Zooniverse project that aims to discover galaxies that act as a gravitational lens by using data from the Hyper-Supreme Cam (HSC) Survey. This data will allow scientists to learn more about stars and dark matter, and information on gravitational lensing and the HSC can be found on the project website.
Gravity Spy is a Zooniverse project that aims to search for gravitational waves, or ripples in spacetime by looking through the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) data. LIGO was able to detect two merging black holes in 2015, and information on how LIGO operates and how to detect glitches in the system can be found on the project site.
Solar Storms
Solar Stormwatch II is a Zooniverse project that aims to track solar storms through space in order to improve space weather forecasts for astronauts and spacecraft. Information on the original Solar Stormwatch’s accomplishments and how to track solar storms can be found on the project site.
Protect Our Planet From Solar Storms is a Zooniverse project that aims to identify complex solar storms to better assess the danger from these eruptions and protect the Earth. Information on the importance of monitoring solar storms and how to categorize the storms can be found on the project site.
Solar System Celestial Bodies
COSMIC (Content-based Object Summarization to Monitor Infrequent Change) is a Zooniverse project that aims to classify surface features on Mars and identify recent and ongoing activity on Mars. Information on data-driven science and the importance of consistent monitoring can be found on the project site.
Vesta Mappers is a ComsoQuest project that aims to map features on the surface of the asteroid Vesta to examine its dynamic geology. Moon Mappers, Mars Mappers, and Mercury Mappers are CosmoQuest projects that are down for maintenance and are currently being rebuilt with a new interface, but will return soon.
Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 is a Zooniverse project that aims to search for brown dwarfs and planets beyond Neptune. Planet 9 remains a major Solar System mystery which this project is working to solve. The project is working to create a better understanding of how stars and planets form, and information on brown dwarfs and planet 9 can be found on the project site.
Planet Four: Terrains is a Zooniverse project that aims to characterize surface features on Mars using data from the Context Camera (CTX) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Information on ‘spiders’ and ‘swiss cheese’ (surface features) and CTX images can be found on the project site.
Stars and Galaxies
Galaxy Zoo is a Zooniverse project that aims to classify galaxies using data from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS). The goal of the project team is to understand how galaxies interact with their surroundings and to gain a better understanding of the past, present, and future of the Universe. Information on the meaning of galaxy features and the purpose of classifying galaxies can be found on the project site.
Milky Way Project is a Zooniverse project that aims to map and measure features of the Milky Way Galaxy using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Information on the properties of interstellar gas, bubbles, and bow shocks can be found on the project site.
Variable Star Zoo is a Zooniverse project that aims to identify and classify variable stars near the center, or bulge, of the Milky Way Galaxy using data from the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) Survey. Information on identifying light curves that belong to variable stars and how to use luminosity to detect the stars can be found on the project site.
SuperWASP Variable Stars is a Zooniverse project that aims to discover new variable stars using data from the SuperWASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets) archives. Information on many types of variable stars, including pulsating, eclipsing binary, and rotationally modulated stars can be found on the project site.
Local Group Cluster Search is a Zooniverse project that aims to discover star clusters in nearby galaxies using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). Information on star cluster, synthetic clusters, and galaxy targets can be found on the project site.
Stardust@Home is a University of California, Berkeley project that aims to discover elusive interstellar dust particles from NASA’s Stardust spacecraft. Discovering such a particle is very rare, and as such the discoverer has the privilege of naming the particle, and appearing as the co-author of a scientific paper. It is required to go through a web-based training session to participate, and participants accumulate scores as they volunteer.
Other
Astronomy Rewind is a Zooniverse project that aims to create a database of astro-referenced images and to make these publicly available in data archives. Information on the purpose of astro-referencing images (images of the sky with coordinates, orientation, and pixel scale) can be found on the project site.
Aurorasaurus is an individual project that aims to track auroras around the world. This is done through reports made on their website, mobile apps, and social media. The project helps scientists to incorporate auroras into space weather reports.
Globe at Night is an international project that aims to raise awareness of light pollution by allowing the public to measure and submit their night-sky brightness observations. Information on the previous 14 years of data on light pollution and how to submit observations can be found on the project site.
TheSkyNet is a project by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) that aims to process radio astronomy data by allowing participants to donate their spare computing power with the software running in the background of their personal machines. Information on the advantages of greater processing power and how the research is used can be found on the project site.