Astronomy Lab: Classifying Galaxies

Goal: To observe and classify a sample range of galaxy types.

The Galaxy Zoo project is one of the longest-running projects at Zooniverse. Over 80 000 volunteers have classified nearly 300 000 subjects....and there are a few left. Results from this classification exercise will be used to help build models of galaxy formation.

Materials and Processes

• Use the Zooniverse project Galaxy Zoo project for this lab.
• Create a Zooniverse account if you do not already have one.
• Read "About" the assigned project.
• Use the tutorial to become familiar with the patterns you need to identify.
• Classify at least 20 objects as part of the assigned project.

Report

Summarize your findings: how many objects were you able to identify? Could you clearly determine the structure of the objects? How different classes of objects could you find? Can you make some conclusions about the frequency of each type of object (percent of total objects viewed)? If you have time, observe at least ten more objects and see if your prediction holds.

Discuss how crowdsource science can be useful and support academic research. What are the limitations and drawbacks? What are the advantages?

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