Citizen Science Stories

An image of a celestial scene showing two bright stars against a dark background, with one star appearing larger and more luminous on the right, and a smaller, dimmer star to the left. A planet is silhouetted as it transits in front of the larger star. The background is filled with a soft glow and scattered faint stars.

Join the Eclipsing Binary Patrol and Spot Rare Stellar Pairs!

2 min read

Eclipsing binaries are special pairs of stars that cross in front of one another as they orbit—stars that take turns blocking one another from our view. At Eclipsing Binary Patrol, the newest NASA-funded citizen science project, you’ll have a chance to help…

Article3 days ago

Eclipse Soundscapes AudioMoth Donations Will Study Nature at Night

3 min read

During the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, approximately 770 AudioMoth recording devices were used to capture sound data as part of the Eclipse Soundscapes Project — a multisensory participatory science (also known as “citizen science”) project that is studying…

Article2 weeks ago

The image depicts a celestial scene, with a bright, luminous star dominating the background. In the center of the image, a small, dark, rocky planet is seen transiting in front of the star, creating a stark contrast between the bright light of the star and the silhouette of the planet. Surrounding the star and planet, the background is filled with countless tiny stars scattered across the vast expanse of space. The star appears to radiate a soft glow, with a bright halo of light around it, emphasizing the planet's position as it passes in front of the star. The overall scene evokes a sense of the vastness and beauty of the cosmos.

Talented Teams Tackle Toasty Planet

4 min read

Exoplanets, look out! Two NASA-funded teams of amateur astronomers are tracking you with their backyard telescopes. These two teams, called UNITE (UNISTELLAR Network Investigating TESS Exoplanets) and Exoplanet Watch, have combined forces to confirm a new planetary discovery—a toasty “warm Jupiter”. “I pinch myself…

Article2 weeks ago

This artist's concept shows a hypothetical white dwarf, left, that has exploded as a supernova, represented as a large fluffy circular mass. At right is a much smaller red circle, representing the fast-moving object CWISE J1249.

NASA Citizen Scientists Spot Object Moving 1 Million Miles Per Hour

4 min read

Most familiar stars peacefully orbit the center of the Milky Way. But citizen scientists working on NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project have helped discover an object moving so fast that it will escape the Milky Way’s gravity and shoot into intergalactic…

Article3 weeks ago

K2-33b, shown in this illustration, is one of the youngest exoplanets detected to date using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope.

How NASA Citizen Science Fuels Future Exoplanet Research

5 min read

NASA’s upcoming flagship astrophysics missions, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, will study planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. Over 5,000 exoplanets have been confirmed to date — and given that scientists estimate…

Article1 month ago

A young scientist is measuring the growth of plants in a laboratory setting. She is wearing glasses, a navy blue jacket, and a lanyard around her neck. She uses a wooden ruler to measure the height of leafy green plants growing in a black tray under bright LED lights. The background shows various scientific posters and equipment, including a shelf with additional plants and grow lights.

Seed Funding Proposals Due November 19 This Year!

2 min read

Since 2020, NASA’s Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) has launched 24 new projects to expand citizen science in professional research. This year, proposals are due by November 19, 2024, with optional Notices of Intent by October 1, 2024. The…

Article2 months ago

An Eclipse Megamovie Megastar

1 min read

Nazmus “Naz” Nasir is a software engineer by day, and an astrophotographer by night….and sometimes by day as well! This April, Naz participated in NASA’s Eclipse Megamovie 2024 project, photographing the total solar eclipse. He created a spectacular video composed of stabilized and aligned…

Article2 months ago

**Alt Text:** A person is working on a laptop with a screen displaying graphs and text. The screen has a large overlay with the text "Achievement Unlocked! Completed 2 full datasets!" The person's right hand is visible on the trackpad, and various browser tabs are open at the top of the screen, indicating an active and busy research session. The environment suggests a focus on data analysis and scientific work.

Happy Birthday, Redshift Wrangler!

2 min read

About one year ago the Redshift Wrangler project first asked you to help examine “spectra” of distant galaxies. These spectra are diagrams that show how much light we receive from them as a function of wavelength. “Since launching on May 30, 2023,…

Article3 months ago

The image shows a road leading to a river or stream that is currently experiencing flooding. The road is blocked off with a yellow and black striped barrier and a sign that reads "AREA CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING." The water level in the river is high, and the current appears strong, with debris visible in the water. The surrounding area is lush with green trees and vegetation, indicating a rural or natural setting. The sky above is partly cloudy.

North Carolina Volunteers Work Toward Cleaner Well Water

2 min read

When the ground floods during a storm, floodwaters wash bacteria and other contaminants into private wells. But thanks to citizen scientists in North Carolina, we now know a bit more about how to deal with this problem. A new NASA-Funded study describes the…

Article3 months ago

### Descriptive 508 Compliant Alt Text: This infographic provides an overview of the 2023-2024 Mountain Rain or Snow observation season. **Left Side: 2023-2024 At a Glance** - Total Observations: 32,110 - Snow: 18,455 - Mix (rain and snow): 3,593 - Rain: 10,062 - There were 1,684 active observers, which is 615 more than last season. - The most observations from a single storm were 2,099 from March 1-3, 2024. - The region that sent the most reports in one day was Sierra Nevada. **Right Side: 2023-2024 Shoutouts** - Top Regions by Reports: 1. Central Basin and Range: 5,517 reports 2. Northeastern Highlands: 4,566 reports 3. Sierra Nevada: 4,402 reports - Leaderboard of Observers: 1. Patrick Thorson, Sierra Nevada: 676 reports 2. Chris Gotschalk, Western Montana: 471 reports 3. SV, The Netherlands: 440 reports 4. Karen O, Rocky Mountains: 388 reports 5. Marley Jennings, Northeast US: 343 reports 6. Mariah Blackhorse, Great Basin: 329 reports 7. Robert R, Sierra Nevada: 284 reports 8. Randall Bursk, Rocky Mountains: 280 reports 9. Bill Locke, Western Montana: 279 reports 10. Erin Grogan, Northeast US: 271 reports - Average Observer across all regions: 19 reports **Elevational Diversity Superstars** - Greatest Variety of Elevations: Craig Hall, Sierra Nevada, submitted from various elevation ranges. - Highest Elevation: Lauren H, Rocky Mountains, at 11,993 ft. - Greatest Range of Elevations: Nayoung Hur, Rocky Mountains, with a range of 8,849 ft between highest and lowest reports.

Mountain Rain or Snow Volunteers Broke Records This Winter

1 min read

The Mountain Rain or Snow project asks volunteers to track rain, snow, and mixed precipitation all winter long—and this was a winter like no other! This season, 1,684 people submitted precipitation observations—that’s about a third more than last season. These volunteers submitted over 32,110 observations, breaking…

Article3 months ago