Check it Out:

Citizen Science: Backyard Worlds: Planet 9

mountain and sky
Photo by Aviv Perets on Pexels.com

We are big fans of citizen science! Of course, science is always cool, and STEM/STEAM projects are an increasing part of everyone’s work and school experiences. So understanding how science works is not just fun, but a good way to understand what is going on in the world around us all.

So we are sharing some neat science you can do, contributing toward large projects, and learning new things. Maybe you can use this today; maybe you will save it for later. As long as you enjoy some exploration and learning new things – citizen science is for you! And it is definitely something you can use to bring some good programming to your library.

What is this project all about? Searching beyond Neptune for new brown dwarfs and planets. Pretty exciting stuff!!

“About Backyard Worlds: Planet 9

Is there a large planet at the fringes of our solar system awaiting discovery, a world astronomers call Planet Nine? We’re looking for this planet and for new brown dwarfs in the backyard of the solar system using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission. But we need your help! Finding these dim objects requires combing through the images by eye to distinguish moving celestial bodies from ghosts and other artifacts. There are too many images for us to search through by ourselves. So come join the search, and you might find a rogue world that’s nearer to the Sun than Proxima Centauri—or even the elusive Planet Nine.”

How can you bring this project into your library or your school? We can get you started with a few ideas:

  • Set up a display of books on astronomy and space
  • Look at maps of satellites. What kinds of them are in space? Who owns different satellites? What kinds of tasks are they doing?
  • How many space bodies – planets, asteroids, etc – have been located by WISE?
  • Find information about digital photographs and editing. Do some practice on your own photos.
  • Do some basic training in photography. What are the elements of a good, clear picture? How can you make pictures look best for everyone?
  • Set up a space-related scavenger hunt. It can be across your library, your school, solely online materials, a local park, or anywhere else.