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.
Check out this project from SciHub:
| Goal | Map the galaxies around up |
|---|---|
| Task | Help classify galaxies from your home or classroom |
| Where | Online |
| Description | Galaxy Zoo needs your help to classify galaxies according to their shapes—a task at which your brain is better than even the fastest computer. Our files contain almost a quarter of a million galaxies which have been imaged with a camera attached to a robotic telescope (the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, no less). In order to understand how these galaxies — and our own — formed, we need your help to classify them. More than 200,000 people have taken part in Galaxy Zoo so far, producing a wealth of valuable data and sending telescopes on Earth and in space chasing after their discoveries. Zoo 2 focuses on the nearest, brightest and most beautiful galaxies. Thanks for your help, and happy classifying. |
| How to get started | To begin exploring by visiting our website https://www.galaxyzoo.org/ Related material: Help Galaxy Zoo Sort Through The Celestial Menagerie (Science Cheerleader): http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/10/help_galaxy_zoo_sort_through_the_celestial_menagerie/ |
| Social Media | Follow Galaxy Zoo on Twitter Find Galaxy Zoo on Facebook Follow the Galaxy Zoo |
| Total expense | 0.00 |
| Ideal Frequency | Unspecified |
| Average Time | |
| Topics | Astronomy & Space, Computers & Technology, |
| Classroom Materials | https://www.galaxyzoo.org/#/navigator/home |
| Media Mentions & Publications | An ode to you: a citizen science theme song!What's the Score?Citizen Science Test Drive: Flex your inner-astronomer's muscle with ZooniverseCitizen Science: Creating a Culture of CuriosityWe're all experts! Wait…is that a good thing?The importance of thinking scientifically |
| Tags | astronomy, astronomy & space, galaxy, moon, nasa, planet, radio, space, space science, sun, telescope, zooniverse, |
| Website | Galaxy Zoo |
And if you want to bring in a few of these ideas to your library, it is useful to have a variety of different program strategies to help share this project. We have a few suggestions to help you get started:
- What kinds of animals would you see in a zoo?
- Make a list of the different kinds of things you might find if you were touring a galaxy
- Go outside at night and look at the stars. Take a map of constellations. How many can you see?
- Write a story about traveling the galaxy. What kinds of things would you see?