Category Archives: astronomy

astronomy, citizen astronomy, citizen science

Be a Citizen Scientist

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Doing Citizen Science

citizen science and meteors
Hunting out meteor shower data in radio signals is one part of the Zooniverse offerings.

A year or so back I gave a talk at our local astronomy society about science projects people can do at home—called citizen science. This is distributed science and data analysis that takes people on explorations through data sets they never dreamed existed.

I’ve given that talk a few times, even on a cruise ship. I got cornered by a bunch of folks in the bar afterward with their laptops and iPads. They wanted the Web addresses of the citizen science projects I mentioned in my talk.

People do love science topics, and I know that we are all born scientists at heart. As kids, we experiment with all kinds of projects and behaviors. Somewhere in our lives, some of us get boosted to do science as careers. But, science isn’t just a job. It’s a continual exploration of the world around us. We’re all STILL scientists…if we want to be. Citizen science is a way to continue the passion for learning and exploring. It can happen at your computer or you may be able to work directly with scientists as many amateur astronomers do.

Citizen Science Via the Web

There’s a place online that has gathered a number of cool citizen science projects. It’s called Zooniverse, and it is stuffed with projects you can do on your computer. They include a lot of astronomy projects, which interest ME of course. However, their “people-powered” programs that give you a chance to participate in some pretty unique research projects that have nothing to do with the sky. Take, for example, the many projects where you count plants, or birds. You can access sites that let you take a census of animals on the Serengeti, or search out communities of life that grow along coastlines. Or, classify sounds that manatees make in order to understand those beings.

It’s not all science, either. One project that particularly intrigues me has people transcribing written Supreme Court notes. There’s another one to transcribe the military records of African-American soldiers who fought in the U.S. Civil War. You can work on Shakespearean-age documents and sift through weather observations written in ship’s logs since the 19th century. There are dozens of projects at the site, each one waiting for someone like you to become a data scientist and lend your time and computer.

Zooniverse isn’t the only place online for this work. Google the term “citizen science” and you’ll find a lot of other efforts out there, too. The SciStarter Web page has links to more than 1,500 vetted research projects, and you can learn more about NASA’s involvement on its Citizen Science Pages, too.

(If you DO Google the term, watch out for the site citizenscience dot org. When I clicked on it, it tried to hijack me to another site chock full of non-related contests. I know it was a legit site at one point, so it may be infected at the moment.)

Why Do Citizen Science?

At a time when science appears to be under attack in the U.S. (and in other parts of the world), it’s important to remember that it’s how we learn about our cosmos. It’s about really digging into nature, including the human species. Whether it’s data from distant stars or studying the names of people who worked on films, science provides a treasury of knowledge. And, citizen involvement helps us all. We don’t have to be scientists to work on the data and make a contribution. But, in working on that data, we DO become data scientists, and that’s an important step forward in understanding our lives, work, history, planet, its life, and the cosmos at large.

Come on over to the Science Side. It’s fun!

astronomy, book review

Stargazing: Humanity’s Oldest Science

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Things to See in the Night Sky

A chart view of Orion, showing Betelgeuse in the shoulder of the giant. The three belt stars run through the middle, and just below them is the Orion Nebula starbirth region. Courtesy Zwergelstern on Wikimedia Commons.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review here, and I certainly have a few books piled up that I’ve read and want to share with you. So, we’ll start out with one of my favorite topics: stargazing. There are a lot of books out there to help you with stargazing, star charts, buying telescopes, and so on. I just got one a few weeks ago called 100 Things to See in the Night Sky: From Planets and Satellites to Meteors and Constellations, Your Guide to Stargazing”. It’s by Dean Regas, who has worked at the Cincinnati Observatory for years, has written for various publications, and knows his way around the sky. His publisher (who is also the publisher of my own Astronomy 101 book) sent me an advance copy and I spent some time the past few weeks reading it.

I have many books like these on my shelf. Still, it’s fun to open up a new one and see what the writer’s favorite objects are. Dean covers all the usual favorites (the Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, Double Cluster, and others). He limits himself to objects seen from between 25 and 55 degrees north latitude on Earth. Each entry has some easy hints and tips about stargazing, and he demystifies the stargazing process.

Sectioning the Sky for Stargazers

I like how he divides the sky into various sections. Dean starts with the northern circumpolar star patterns and constellations and works his way south. For each deep-sky object, he has a “difficulty rating”. That relates to how dim or bright it is and how tough it might be to locate. He talks about some of the cultural significance behind the constellations and sky objects and gives a little scientific background about each thing he discusses.  I also like his discussions about looking for satellites and attending such events as eclipses. All very handy info. It’s all written at a level that’s really approachable for most users. I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to a pre-teen as well as an adult beginner. The graphic illustrations are simple and to the point.

So, if you’re looking for a gift book or a new stargazing book for your own shelf, check this one out. Click the link above for the Amazon page for Dean’s book. It has a “Peek Inside” logo, which means you can browse through the pages to see how well it’s written.

My New Book is Out

Speaking of books, my own latest book from Amberley Press will be out in hard copy on April 1. For those of you who prefer electronic books, it’s available now and called Space Exploration: Past, Present, Future. It’s aimed at folks who are interested in knowing more about space exploration but appreciate an executive summary of the topic. The text covers the ancient history of rockets all the way through the Space Age and beyond. It looks at the current state of affairs looks at various agencies and companies involved. Finally, it dives into the cultural changes that space exploration has brought about. It was fun to write, and I invite folks to check it out!