A “classification” is when a volunteer or citizen scientist finishes marking up or sorting one image or other piece of data. Each classification done by volunteers for the Redshift Wrangler project tells us something about the distance and age of a far-away galaxy, bringing us one step closer to understanding how galaxies evolve. These volunteers met a major milestone this week: 200,000 classifications completed!
That’s not all. The Redshift Wrangler project has received over 3,000 comments on Zooniverse talk boards, and has begun preparing a paper on their first batch of 11,000 galaxies. The paper will incorporate data from the DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS) from NASA’s Keck Observatory Archive, as well as data from the Gemini and Subaru telescopes.
“NASA’s citizen science is a blessing, as I’ve found the Redshift Wrangler project to be such a rewarding experience,” said project volunteer, Baba Karthik Kalapatapu. “This project holds special meaning for me, as I had the unforgettable experience of visiting the Mauna Kea observatories, where I watched the Gemini North and Keck telescopes power on at sunset. I never could have imagined that I’d one day be working with data from those very telescopes—an incredible full-circle moment in my journey into understanding the cosmos.”
Ready to wrassle some distant galaxies yourself? Join the Redshift Wrangler project today! Lasso not required.
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