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FAQ
Is it necessary to have knowledge about astronomy to participate?
No specialized background, training, or expertise in astronomy is required to participate in Zooniverse projects. We've designed the platform to be user-friendly, enabling anyone to contribute to real academic research using their computer and at their convenience.
How can I make valuable contributions?
Your contributions help us improve a machine learning classifier, which assists in identifying various interesting astronomical targets within and beyond the Milky Way. For detailed instructions, please visit the Classify section and follow the instructions provided.
What types of astronomical objects can I identify on Zooniverse?
You can help identify a range of astronomical objects, including:
- Asteroids: Identified by their characteristic streaks or trails as they move through the telescope's field of view.
- Galaxies: Distinguished by their extended structures and various shapes such as spiral, elliptical, or irregular, consisting of billions to trillions of stars, gas, dust, and other matter.
- Green objects: Objects emitting light at the specific H-alpha line of hydrogen, often associated with regions of ionized hydrogen gas, crucial for indicating star formation activity.
- Exotic Objects: Various celestial phenomena and objects, as well as defects in the image or data reduction process, like cosmic rays, satellite trails, and distortions.
How do I identify an Asteroid?
Asteroids are identified by the streaks or trails they create as they move through the telescope's field of view during consecutive exposures. These streaks show up as lines with different colors corresponding to the various filters used during the exposures.
How do I identify a Galaxy?
Galaxies are distinguished from stars by their extended structures consisting of billions to trillions of stars, gas, dust, and other matter. They exhibit various shapes, such as spiral, elliptical, or irregular, allowing differentiation from point-like star objects.
How do I identify Green objects?
H-alpha emitters appear green in the images due to the specific filters used that emphasize the wavelength range associated with H-alpha emission. These emissions are indicative of regions of ionized hydrogen gas and active star formation within galaxies.
Are there other objects I should be aware of?
In addition to identifying specific astronomical objects, it's essential to recognize and understand undesired features in images, including:
- Satellite Trails: Single-colored streaks consistently traversing all images, distinguishable from asteroid trails.
- Cosmic Rays: Short, single-colored lines resulting from energetic particles interacting with the camera sensor.
- Saturated Stars: Contributing varying lines across image subsets, often divided into 16 segments. Proper identification of these features is crucial for accurate interpretation of astronomical images.
Technical questions
What is the Zooniverse?
The Zooniverse is the world's largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. Volunteers, numbering more than a million globally, come together to assist professional researchers in various projects. The aim is to enable research that would not be feasible or practical otherwise.
What is the difference between the desktop and mobile app?
The desktop application provides an interactive and immersive learning experience for those with computer access, offering both identification and selection stages. On the other hand, the mobile application is tailored for individuals who primarily use smartphones and tablets, focusing on the identification stage.