The Milky Way Project

PROJECT

Url:http://www.milkywayproject.org/
Start date:
End date: Still open
Infrastructure: Zooniverse

TEAM

Official team page:http://www.milkywayproject.org/team
Leader:
Institution: University of Oxford
Partner institutions: Adler Planetarium, Jeremiah Horrocks, Herschel Institute, Spitzer Space Telescope, HiGal
Contact: http://www.milkywayproject.org/contact
Main location: University of Oxford

PROJECT DEFINITION

Subject

Natural sciences > astronomy, astrophysics (space)

Description

We're asking you to help us find and draw circles on infrared image data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Understanding the material that we see in these images helps scientists to learn how stars form and how our galaxy changes and evolves with time.

Purpose.

The Milky Way Project is currently working with data taken from the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer Galactic Plane Survey (MIPSGAL). We aim to bring you a host of interesting science problems as time goes by, and to begin with we're looking for bubbles. These bubbles are part of the life cycle of stars. Some bubbles have already been found - by the study that inspired this project - but we want to find more! By finding more, we will build up a comprehensive view of not only these bubbles, but our galaxy as a whole. We're asking you to help us map star formation in our galaxy.

Research question.

The bubbles you see in this project are sometimes complete, and round, but often not. There are a great many bubbles that look like they have burst or faded away - or been disrupted by other bubbles. You can help us in this area by identifying bursting or distorted bubbles and figuring out the angle at which they burst or the eccentricity of their shape. This information will allow us to reconstruct bubbles to see how it evolved and grew. Maybe the bubble ran out of material, or maybe there is something stranger afoot!

ABOUT PARTICIPANT TASKS

Tasks description.

Mark images with circles and flags, annotate them with categories.

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Grey typology

Participation typology

Contribution type:


Computing:	NO	Thinking:	NO
Sensing:	NO	Gaming:	NO

Crowdsourcing	☐	Distributed intelligence	☐
Participatory science	☐	Extreme citizen science	☐
Science outreach	☐

Data collection	☐
Data analysis	☐
Data interpretation	☐--------

Gaming

Genre:

Gaming elements:

Interface

Data type to manipulate: pictures

interface enjoyment:
Interface usability:

Member profiles::N/A
Member profile elements:

ABOUT GUIDANCE AND FEEDBACK

Guidance

Feedback on

Tutorial and documentation:	YES
Training sequence:	NO
Peer to peer guidance:	SOMEWHAT

individual performance:	YES
collective performance:	Somewhat
research progress:	Somewhat

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COMMUNITY

Tools	News & Events
Communication: website, blog, forum Social Network: N/A	Main news site: Frequency of project news updates: N/A Type of events: Frequency of events :
Community description
Community size (volounteers based): Role: Interaction form: Has official community manager(s): N/A Has team work N/A

Other information about community:
Community led additions:

OTHER PROJECT INFORMATION

BIBLIOGRAPHY