The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission has been making waves in the world of astronomy since its launch in 2013. With its two powerful telescopes and three science instruments, Gaia is creating the largest and most precise 3D map of the Milky Way, measuring 1.8 billion stars with unprecedented precision. But now, Gaia needs your help to take its discoveries even further.
Through the Gaia Vari project, an ESA-funded citizen science initiative, you can help classify Gaia’s variable stars – stars that change in brightness over time. By looking over images and graphs and identifying incorrect classifications made by automated algorithms, you can help scientists organise and categorise what we know of the millions of stars Gaia has observed. Who knows – you may even discover the most interesting stars!
“Gaia is deepening our understanding of the universe as we know it, and both professional and amateur astronomers have been amazed with the results analysed so far. Now we need help from the wider amateur astronomy community to better understand how stars change throughout the years”, says Pedro García Lario, Community Support Scientist at Gaia Science Operations Centre.
Participating in the Gaia Vari project is easy – simply head to Zooniverse, a platform with projects where people power the research. There’s no need for you to sign in or create an account. After entering the platform, you can learn how to look at the graphs and data and classify each variable.
By opening up ESA data and tools to the public, we are improving the openness of our work, increasing citizen engagement in scientific research, and building stronger connections between science and society. So why not join us in advancing peaceful space exploration? From monitoring light pollution to classifying images of Mars, there are plenty of opportunities for citizen scientists to get involved.
Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.