Frequently Asked Questions

What features am I looking for?

You'll see the most common features of a jellyfish galaxy in the tutorial, as well as in the "Need some help with this task?" panels for each task. Whilst all galaxies are different, these should help you understand what features to look for.

How many galaxies should I classify?

You can classify as many galaxies as you like! There's no target or limit for an individual classifier, so you are free to pick your own target. You could classify many galaxies at once, or try to contribute one or two each day. Each and every jellyfish galaxy helps us expand our understanding, so we appreciate every classification you make!

What if I can't see a galaxy?

If the galaxy is not clear, obscured by a star, or the image is not clear to the extent that you can't classify the galaxy, you'll have the option to select "The galaxy is not clear or too small / There is a problem with the image" in the first task.

There are other objects in the image, is this a merger?

There will almost always be other objects in the field of view, usually small galaxies, or foreground stars. Galaxies likely to be interacting with the main object will usually be fairly similar in size, and sometimes disturbed as well. Very small objects in the image are unlikely to be related to the main galaxy.

In this example, there is another galaxy close to the central one and similarly sized, likely to be a merging companion.

In this example, there are other objects in the field of view, but they are much smaller than the central galaxy, and likely to be unrelated.

The galaxy looks edge on and I can't see any features! Can I still classify it?

If the galaxy is edge-on, you'll probably not be able to see spiral arms, however in some cases the tails, or removed material, will still be visible to one side of the galaxy, like in the following example.

If the galaxy appears to be edge-on, do the best you can with any features you can still see.

I'm still having trouble classifying a galaxy, what can I do?

You can always ask a question in "Talk", to discuss it with other classifiers or members of our team, we're always happy to take a look and help with the challenging cases.