Become an asteroid hunter: astronomers call for mission help!

The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona launched an online portal as part of the project Catalina Sky Survey, which receives funding from NASA. This portal allows the public to contribute to the identification of asteroids and comets.

By registering on zooniverse, users have access to the images captured by the telescope, being able to analyze them in search of possible celestial bodies.

This human collaboration complements automated detection systems, aiding in the discovery of near-Earth objects.

The University of Arizona is inviting people from around the world to join researchers in their quest to discover asteroids transiting our solar system. Now, with just an Internet connection, anyone can participate in this collaborative effort.

Asteroid Hunting at the University of Arizona

Astronomers at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona have launched a new program that allows anyone to become an asteroid hunter.

Through online portal of Catalina Sky Survey, funded by NASA, scientists are opening up their mission to discover and identify space rocks that regularly visit Earth's vicinity to the participation of the general public.

Now, anyone can join this important quest through this affordable program.

When looking at the night sky with the naked eye, it is possible to see twinkling stars, planets and the occasional plane crossing the horizon.

However, there is something that is rarely observed: asteroids and comets, rocky fragments left over from the formation of our solar system, which occurred about 4.6 billion years ago.

These celestial objects, due to their ancestral origin, carry with them valuable clues about the formation of the Sun and the planets, being the target of great interest and study by scientists.

Through the newly launched portal, scientists from Catalina Sky Survey are making possible detections of asteroids and comets obtained from their ground-based telescopes available to the general public.

This initiative allows even amateurs to assist scientists in the search for unknown objects in our solar system by examining look closely at high-resolution images of the sky captured by telescopes, which scientists themselves have not had the opportunity to analyze in detail.

This collaboration broadens the chances of meaningful discoveries and enriches collective astronomical knowledge.

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