You can work with astronomers through two new projects
In the field of astronomy, citizen scientists are continuously helping the astronomers in achieving results in many studies. There are two new projects through which you can also contribute in the field of astronomy. One project is Space Warps (http://spacewarps.org) and the other project is Planet Four (http://planetfour.org).
Space Warps project works on the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. “A gravitational lens is formed when the light from a very distant, bright source (such as a quasar) is “bent” around a massive object (such as a cluster of galaxies) between the source object and the observer,” as noted in Wikipedia. This phenomenon helps scientists to study remote objects in the universe. With Space Warps project, you can work on this phenomenon in images from the 3.5-meter Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope’s Legacy Survey.
Planet Four project is about exploring the surface of Mars. In this case, you can work on ‘fans’ and ‘blotches’ on the Martian surface that are believed to be caused by the wind direction and speed. Studying these features over a period of time and at places on Mars can help us further understanding the climate of Mars. The images about these features obtained from the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. HiRISE can take images of Mars with resolutions of 0.3 m/pixel (about 1 foot), resolving objects below a meter across.
