Citizen Scientists Seek Solar System Secrets in Comet Data
New Project Leverages Powerful Telescope and Human Insight to Uncover Cosmic Origins
The vast expanse of our solar system holds clues to its very formation, with distant comets and asteroids acting as time capsules. Now, a groundbreaking citizen science initiative invites the public to help unlock these mysteries from their own homes.
Unveiling the Unknown from Earth
Launching June 30, Rubin Comet Catchers taps into the immense data stream from the Simonyi Survey Telescope at Chile’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory. This cutting-edge instrument boasts the largest digital camera ever constructed for astronomical observation, providing volunteers with incredibly detailed sky imagery.
Participants will sift through images, each spanning an area equivalent to 45 full moons, via the Zooniverse citizen science platform. Their mission: to identify previously undiscovered comets, asteroids, centaurs, and other intriguing interstellar objects. This collaborative effort provides vital information for planetary defense and understanding interplanetary system composition.
The Power of the Human Eye
Project founder **Colin Chandler** emphasizes the irreplaceable role of human observation. With such a vast dataset, even the best algorithms miss what the human eye can still find, especially the unexpected,
**Chandler** stated. That’s where our volunteers come in.
**Chandler**, a planetary scientist, developed Rubin Comet Catchers
building on his earlier work with the Active Asteroids initiative. He continues to collaborate with his former mentors and colleagues at Northern Arizona University (NAU).
Local Expertise Fuels Global Discovery
Key contributions come from NAU’s Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, including associate professor **Chad Trujillo** and doctoral students **Max Frissell** and **Kennedy Farrell**. They have conducted crucial follow-up studies using telescopes like the Lowell Discovery Telescope and the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope.
**Trujillo** plans further research into nearby astronomical objects with associate professor **Michael Gowanlock** and doctoral students **Maria Chernyavskaya** and **Erin Clark** from NAU’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems. This work will utilize Rubin Observatory data to explore object properties.
“Comets and active asteroids are really interesting because the tails we see are mostly produced by water ice turning into vapor when they get close to the sun,” Trujillo said. “Studying them can tell us more about where water ice is in our present-day solar system, and it might provide clues as to where the Earth’s oceans came from.”
—Chad Trujillo, Associate Professor, NAU
To streamline the process, NAU doctoral student **Will Burris** created a classification system for an AI assistant named TailNet. This technology helps filter the massive amount of data, prioritizing images likely to show cometary activity and excluding those that do not.
**Chandler** also utilizes NAU’s computing cluster, Monsoon, for archival investigations into past comet-like activity, highlighting its importance for large-scale data mining.
The project aims to empower individuals with no prior astronomy experience to contribute significantly to our understanding of the solar system. Recent research suggests that asteroids may have delivered a significant portion of Earth’s water. For instance, a study published in *Nature Astronomy* in 2022 indicated that carbonaceous chondrite asteroids, similar to those being studied, could account for up to 60% of Earth’s water (Nature Astronomy, 2022).
Individuals eager to join the quest for cosmic knowledge can sign up at cometcatchers.net.
