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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is X-ray emission?
X-ray emission is very energetic light that we can't usually see with our naked eyes. It's the same emission that is used in X-ray machines when you go to the doctor or dentist for scans of your bones or teeth. X-ray images allow us to see the most extreme and energetic events in our Universe.
What is XMM-Newton?
XMM-Newton is an X-ray space observatory launched and operated by the European Space Agency. The Earth's atmosphere protects us from energetic X-ray emission and so to get X-ray images we need to do it from space. XMM-Newton was launched in 1999 but is still operating now!
How do I know if I am any good?
Several people will classify the same subject as you do, so do not worry if you do make a mistake (click a wrong button and submit) from time to time. There will always be a significant fraction of Subjects whose classification will be uncertain or ambiguous (and the distribution of the classifications is itself very valuable data). This is the nature of the data. With the exception of "wait, I clicked the wrong button" (and similar), there are no mistakes.
What if I'm not sure about a classification?
If you are unsure about a classification, have a look at the link below the choices "Need help with this task". If you are still unsure you can make comment with the Talk button right after you finish your classification.
How can I change a classification?
If you change your mind during classification, you can still go back by clicking on the Back button. Once you click on the Done button, your classification will be submitted to our database, and can no longer be changed.
What happens to the classifications I provide?
All classifications from all participating users are being safely saved. We will analyse the data to make sure that they are in a form suitable for scientists (including ourselves) to use. All results will be eventually made public for anyone to use. For our research, we will use the classifications to train a machine learning algorithm to help us classify even more galaxy clusters.
How far away are these objects?
The objects in our Universe span a range of distances. From stars in our Galaxy, nearby galaxies, nearby galaxy clusters to distant galaxy clusters. Nearby galaxy clusters in The Hunt for Galaxy Clusters usually lie in the redshift range of 0 < z < 0.3 and distant galaxy clusters in the redshift range of 0.3 < z < 1, where z is an astrophysical measurement of distance, z = 1 corresponds to ~ 1023 kilometres.