Tag: citizen science
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It ain’t aliens — but this weird-looking star is still interesting
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] We Haven’t Found Alien Megastructures… Yet The mystery formations and data discrepancies of Tabby’s Star turned out to have explanations. But that’s not what’s important about the mystery star.…
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Using NASA science to count the world’s biggest fish
[ This blog is dedicated to tracking my most recent publications. Subscribe to the feed to keep up with all the science stories I write! ] A NASA Algorithm Can Save Endangered Whale Sharks Constellations of spots on these school bus-sized animals were hard to track, until now For The Daily Beast: Like too many…
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Green Peas were all my joy, galaxies were my delight
Most galaxies are somewhat red or blue in appearance, depending on the populations of stars that comprise them. However, citizen scientists working with the GalaxyZoo project identified a previously unknown type of galaxy: Green Peas, so named because they are small and green. The color comes from ionized oxygen, a particular form of emission that…
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Maybe you could be the one to discover the next Earth
The orbiting Kepler observatory has been a remarkably successful project since its inception. By watching one small patch of the sky continuously, Kepler has enabled astronomers to discover upward of 2300 possible exoplanets—planets orbiting other stars. While many of those candidates likely are not actually planets, follow-up observations have confirmed 854 exoplanets as of December…
