You can participate in astronomy research!

Scientists need YOUR help to conduct large-scale studies searching for disks around other stars, distant galaxies, extra-solar planets, asteroids, and more!

Disk Detective -  Help current OU research!
WISE is a NASA mission that has surveyed the whole sky in infrared light -- the same light night-vision goggles use. In this project, we use data from WISE to find debris disks: regions of gas, dust, and rock left over from planetary system formation, similar to the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt in our own solar system. By finding more debris disks, we find stars that likely host planets. Learning more about these systems can tell us more about how planetary systems, including our Solar System, form and morph over time. Computers often confuse debris disks with other astronomical objects. We need your help to distinguish the stars with debris disks we’re looking for from background galaxies and nebulae.

Galaxy Zoo - To understand how galaxies form, we need your help to classify them according to their shape. You may even be the first person to lay eyes on the galaxies you’re asked to classify!

Planet Hunters - At Planet Hunters, scientists are enlisting the public’s help to inspect light curves from NASA’s Kepler mission and find planets that automated detection algorithms missed. No training required! All you need is your keen eyes and a Web browser to join the hunt.

Asteroid Zoo - Scientists are scanning our solar system for asteroids with the Catalina Sky Survey. They need your help to finds asteroids for the exploration of their mineral properties!