The browser game Planet Hunters charges players with a daunting, nigh impossible task: to find and verify an Earth-like planet.
Using data from the Kepler Public Archive and armed with a planet-detecting technique known as the Transit Method, players observe the light emitted from faraway stars over 30-day periods. Whenever that light is obscured (called a 'dip' or a transit feature), it means that the planet has passed in front of the stellar sphere, belying its size and orbit. The best observations were recently sent to the Kepler Team, a consortium of astrophysicists who specialize in finding extra-solar planets. Thus far, almost 70 nearby terrestrial planets have been found by Planet Hunter's 40,000 members.
Citizen science and crowdsourcing have proven to be of immeasurable help in cutting costs and the expertise required to search for so-called Goldilocks planets. Who knows, within the next century, we could be living on a planet you discovered!
Crowdsourced Space Explorations
Planet Hunters Wants You to Help Find Another Earth
Trend Themes
1. Citizen Science - Leveraging the power of crowdsourcing and citizen science to assist in scientific research and discovery, opening possibilities for innovative collaborations and cost reduction.
2. Gamification - Using game-like elements to engage and motivate individuals in contributing to scientific exploration, revolutionizing the way discoveries are made.
3. Transit Method - Harnessing the transit method, a planet-detecting technique that identifies planets through the analysis of light emitted from distant stars, enabling the discovery of new Earth-like planets.
Industry Implications
1. Space Exploration - Integrating citizen scientists into the exploration of space to expand our understanding of the universe and potentially discover habitable planets in parallel with traditional research methods.
2. Online Gaming - Incorporating gamification elements into online gaming platforms to engage users in scientific endeavors, creating a new market for entertainment that also contributes to scientific advancements.
3. Astronomy - Applying the transit method and leveraging citizen science to enhance the field of astronomy, allowing for the identification and study of distant planets, furthering our knowledge of the universe.