Finished! Looks like this project is out of data at the moment!
New Updates posted on the Results page! Thank you so much to all 865 volunteers which helped to classify 12,000 unique subjects!
FAQ
Why did we make this project?
This project is meant to be a supplement to the Blast website. This website is a database which includes a number of transient events available to the public. There are different types of data available on the website, including photometry (brightnesses and colors) of the galaxies and an estimation of how far away the galaxies are. But, getting some of the more qualitative galaxy characteristics from a Blast is difficult; Zooniverse will help to provide data about the host galaxy morphologies of these events, and also to identify merger and interacting systems since these systems can provide a unique environment for stars to form.
Why is studying star formation and supernovae important?
Stars are one of the major building blocks of the Universe, and we donʻt fully understand how clouds of gas and dust actually form these stars. Supernovae are extremely important events because they contribute to creating and dispersing elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. These elements can become part of planets or asteroids, and even help to create the building blocks of life.
How are the galaxy photos made?
The photos you are classifying are made with Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) files. FITS files are used by astronomers to archive image data that is taken by sky surveys. What we specifically do for this project is get 3 FITS images from Blast in red, green, and blue colors. Then we overlay the three cutouts to make a three color image. If you wish to learn more or work a little with FITS images, check out the education page.
Why do some photos have white patches?
Sometimes photos will have random white patches. These white patches happen because the telescope doesn't have image data for that region of the photo. The data could have been lost to a corruption, or other reasons.
What if I Classify Something Wrong?
If you submit a classification that you feel is wrong, donʻt worry about it! We have multiple different people classify the same image, so that when we get the data, any outlier classifications are smoothed out. We also account for this error in any science we do with this data. Just give it your best shot when you classify.
What Happens to Galaxies I Classify?
First, we check every galaxy classification for the type of supernova that occurs. Then we separate the galaxies between Single, Disturbed, and Merger Galaxies. We further separate the Early Stage Mergers depending on how many of the galaxies are spirals. Next, we compare the ratios of supernovae types in these three different systems. We also compare the ratios of only core collapse supernovae. Lastly, we look at the data to determine if we see anything different about the supernovae in these merger and disturbed systems.