List of Citizen Science Projects

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Below are a selection of ways you can get involved in Astronomy & Physics around the globe! Am I missing something? Leave a comment. (I’m only listing projects that are open to people nationally – pick a nation – or preferably globally.)

You can also find a list of Citizen Science projects for all of science over on Cornell’s Citizen Science Gateway.

Please Note: Only a selected list of distributed computing projects are listed here. Most of these activities use BOINC. For a complete list of BOINC enabled distributed computing projects, check out this site, and learn more about BOINC here.

Last updated 9/13/2009

Astronomy

• Distributed Computing
  • SETI@home uses your computer “in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).”
  • Cosmology@home uses your computer “to search for the model that best describes our Universe and to find the range of models that agree with the available astronomical and particle physics data.”
  • Einstein@home enables your computer “to search for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO gravitational wave detector. It also searches for radio pulsars in binary systems, using data from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.”
• Observing
  • AAVSO is an organization that runs several campaigns a year and asks for ongoing observations of variable stars. There are projects for people with and without telescopes or binoculars.
  • Center for Backyard Astrophysics measures things that go flare in the night: Cataclysmic Variables. Observers typically have 8-inch or larger telescopes with CCDs.
  • Citizen Sky asks for your help observing the mysterious binary system epsilon Aurigae. No telescope or experience required!
  • GLOBE at Night works to measure global light pollution levels during yearly observing campaigns. No telescope or experience required!
  • Great Worldwide Star Count is another project that works to measure global light pollution levels during yearly observing campaigns. No telescope or experience required!
  • International Occultation Timing Association (dues required) asks people to help measure the time and duration of occultations. An accurate timing device is required.
  • Minor Planet Center catalogues observations of asteroids and other small solar system bodies. A telescope, imaging device of some kind, and an accurate time keeping device are required.
  • TransitSearch asks observers to help look for and measure known exoplanets transiting stars. Small telescopes are fine, but a well calibrated CCD is required. (site not working September 13, 2009)
• Online Projects
  • Galaxy Zoo asks for your help in understanding galaxies, galaxy evolution, and the cosmology of our universe by classifying images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
  • Stardust@Home asks for your help finding grains of dust in aerogel that was carried into space by the Stardust mission.
  • Note: Clickworkers was a projects that asked people to classify the surfaces of solar system objects. As of Sept. 2009, their sites had been down for several months.

Physics

• Distributed Computing
  • LHC@Home enables you ” to help physicists develop and exploit particle accelerators, such as CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.”