4. Galaxy Zoo: Discover Stars, Galaxies and Planets
It was Sunday morning, and I was lying in bed.
“What are you doing?” my wife asked
“Classifying galaxies” I replied
“What?” – She looked unconvinced.
In a vain attempt to stimulate my brain from the ‘land of nod’, I was playing with with my phone while lying underneath the duvet covers.
“Real galaxies? Don’t be silly! What are you really doing?”
Contrary to my bed-head hair and pyjama appearance, I was in fact making a valuable contribution to galaxy research! From under the protection of a warm bedclothes, I was taking part in Galaxy Zoo – looking at never before seen galaxies.
In what started off as a small project with a handful of volunteers, Galaxy Zoo has spawned into a family of online astronomy games and activities, with thousands of volunteers helping to sift through the millions of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. If you want to take part, when you register your details online on the ‘Zooniverse’ website you can have a go at a whole variety of activites from detecting solar storms, to mapping the surface of the moon or even searching for extra-terrestrial planets! When you join the Zooniverse all your achievements and discoveries are recorded on your profile.
Playability: 9/10 – Most of the activities in the Zooniverse are easy and intuitive to play
Fun Factor: 7/10 – Some of the ‘games’ are hard to get into and the tutorials feel a bit like a science lesson. But there is such a selection to choose from that you’ll be able to keep boredom at bay for many an hour.
Value to Humanity: 6/10 – Discovering new galaxies might not lead to world peace but being the first to spot a solar storm could literally save lives!
Good For: Frustrated astronomers, Star Trek fans, and anyone who dreams of having a star named after them!
Click here to test out the Galaxy Zoo Online Games!
Next page: Foldit
