Welcome to Rubin Comet Catchers! Update November 12, 2025.
We have a sister Rubin project! Check out Rubin Difference Detectives.
SPECIAL NOTE: Check out PI Colin Orion Chandler being interviewed about Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS on EarthSky! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a0zplLaXVQ
We have LSSTCam images! And they feature the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS!! This first set will appear as part of the training images, and you’ll get a note when you see it! All other Rubin images are from the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Data Preview 1 (DP1) dataset, using the special commissioning camera, which is just a small taste of what's to come! As a result, we expected everything to be classified pretty quickly, so the number of classifications per image is set high to give everyone a chance to participate. If you want fresh data (or we’re out), please visit our sister project Active Asteroids for a great opportunity to discover active asteroids and other comets in Dark Energy Camera data! Note too that here in Rubin Comet Catchers, we have known comet images from the Active Asteroids project as part of our training dataset!
Also, this project recently migrated onto Zooniverse’s new architecture. For details, see here.
Education
Rubin Observatory Education
Rubin Observatory provides resources for educators to bring Rubin data into the classroom, with all the support and resources educators need. Find out more!
The education investigations run in a browser - you just need a computer, tablet or phone! The investigations include:
- Coloring the Universe
- Exploding Stars
- Surveying the Solar System
- Exploring the Observable Universe
- Hazardous Asteroids
- Expanding Universe
- Stellar Safari
Hazardous Asteroids and Surveying the Solar System cover topics most closely aligned with Comet Catchers.