Highlights

NASA needs your help! You can collaborate with professional scientists, conduct cutting-edge science, and make real discoveries.  A science degree is not required, just a passion for understanding the natural world. Here, you can read news about NASA-funded citizen science projects, new discoveries, and opportunities to get involved. For more information on current citizen science projects.

 

Look Back in Time to the Early Universe!
Universe, Citizen Science
May 30, 2023
As the universe expands, it stretches out the waves of light coming from distant galaxies. Now you can measure this stretching, or “redshift” and use it to look back in time. The new Redshift Wrangler citizen science project, hosted by Zoonverse, asks you to help astronomers peer across billions of... Read More
This Redshift Wrangler project logo shows a cartoon depiction of an astronaut in space wearing a white astronaut suit and the kind of brown, wide-brimmed hat a ranch hand or cowpoke might wear. The astronaut holds the end of a lasso, the loop of which circles above the astronaut’s head, having encircled a galaxy. The galaxy is a swirl of colors similar to those that make up the visible light spectrum, blue on the left and fading into green, yellow, orange, and red as the color spreads to the right side of t
Join the Dark Energy Explorers for an Exclusive Telescope Tour!
Universe, Citizen Science
Apr 21, 2023
April is Citizen Science Month, and the Dark Energy Explorers team invites you to celebrate with an extra special treat!
Photo of a large silver domed building with a smaller shed next to it; 3 colorful flags fly in front of the dome.
Volunteers Report a New Gang of Imposter Planets
Universe, Citizen Science
Apr 18, 2023
You’ll sleep better tonight knowing 142 imposter planet candidates no longer roam the skies. Those suspicious characters were apprehended and placed under custody by volunteer Planet Patrollers who met through NASA’s Planet Patrol Citizen Science project.
The 999 targets of the TESS Triple-9 Catalog II, displayed according to their period and radius. Cyan dots represent the planet candidates (PCs) while the red dots represent both impostors and potential imposters (labeled as (potential) False Positives (p)FPs) (Magliano et al. 2023).
Are we alone in the universe? You’re not alone if you want to find out!
Universe, Citizen Science
Feb 14, 2023
Help search for radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations! (Credit: UCLA SETI and Yuri Beletsky)
Image of the universe with a string of 1's and 0's going into the distance
Volunteers Help Discover the Reddest Free-Floating Brown Dwarf
Universe, Citizen Science
Feb 7, 2023
The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project has just discovered an object similar to Jupiter that has some of the reddest “colors” we've ever seen for such objects. Astronomers use the word “color” in a special way, since they often look at wavelengths of light that are not visible to humans. But in... Read More
Artist concept of a reddish brown dwarf
The SciGirls become Disk Detectives
Universe
Feb 2, 2023
A new special episode of SciGirls, the Emmy award-winning TV show, features NASA’s Disk Detective project. The latest episode, “Dakota Stars,” joins a new collection of SciGirls in Space episodes that explore topics like human spaceflight, astronomy, and traditional star knowledge. 
Photo of 3 girls facing away from the camera in a field looking at the night sky, they are each wrapped in very colorful blankets.
NASA Wants You to Help Study Planets Around Other Stars
Universe
Jan 11, 2023
The Exoplanet Watch project invites you to use your smartphone or personal telescope to help track worlds outside our solar system.
A photograph shows a desert butte in front of a night sky glittering with stars. The band of the Milky Way crosses the sky diagonally. It looks like a glowing cloud filled with dust and stars above the desert landscape.
Become a Dark Energy Explorer!
Universe
Jan 6, 2023
Become a Dark Energy Explorer, help map the distant universe and figure out what makes it expand faster and faster! Dark energy makes the whole universe expand faster and faster! But what causes this spectacular process? Join NASA’s newest citizen science project, Dark Energy Explorers, and help... Read More
Confirm the Existence of Newly Discovered Worlds Right from Your Backyard with UNITE!
Universe, Exoplanets
Dec 13, 2022
Jupiter-like planets play important roles in arranging planetary systems, and can influence the abilities of planets to host life. But detecting them requires coordinated observations across multiple hours or days by astronomers worldwide. That’s why out of the more than 5,200... Read More
Square image with a bright orange sun in the upper right corner, the earth in the lower left corner with 3 telescopes floating around it and the title reads UNITE Unistellar Network Investigating TESS Exoplanets
Citizen Scientist Leads Discovery of 34 Ultracool Brown Dwarfs with Companions
Universe, Citizen Science
Jul 20, 2022
When do brown dwarfs and white dwarfs mix? Ask NASA citizen scientist Frank Kiwy!
Illustration with black background and a larger red sphere in the foreground and a small white-blue glowing sphere in the distance.

Citizen Science Topics

More Stories

NASA Science Live Episode on Citizen Science, Wednesday Dec 16th
AGU Town Hall, Friday, December 4: The Present and Future State of NASA’s Citizen Science Program
Picture It…Wisconsin Wildlife at Your Fingertips!
Disk Detective 2.1 is Live! Come Join the Search!
Comments on the Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) Are Due July 30th

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