Being a citizen scientist means you can help real scientists with their research, even if you’re not a professional scientist yourself. In space science, this can be super exciting! You might look at pictures of space, spot stars or planets, or even help track satellites. Scientists need lots of data, and they rely on people like you to help gather and analyze it. By participating in projects and sharing your findings, you can make a big difference and learn a lot about the universe!
If you’re interested in helping out, there are many cool projects online where you can start your journey as a citizen scientist.
SciStarter Space Themed Projects
Projects last checked in February of 2025. See SciStarter Project Finder for current information.
- Kids in Space – Quick Survey, for ages 6 and older.
- Interactive NASA Space Physics Ionosphere Radio Experiments – Use build-it-yourself kits to measure and record very low frequency radio emissions, for ages 6 and older.
- Galaxy Zoo – Classify galaxies according to their shapes, for adults but can have kid helpers.
- Globe at Night – Go outside at least an hour after sunset (8-10pm local time) when the moon is not up and measure the night sky brightness, for ages 11 and older.
- Blackhole Finder – The app allows users to review the initial selection of potentially significant images and contribute their judgment on whether an exciting event is unfolding, for ages 11 and older.
- Sungrazer Project – Scour the SOHO images for a likely comet candidate, for ages 11 and older.
- Cosmic Cataclysms – Watch cataclysmic events using Unistellar telescopes, for ages 14 and older.
- Artificial Satellites – Observe and track artificial satellites, for ages 14 and older.
- Cometary Activity – Observe comets’ close approaches and monitor their activity, for ages 14 and older.
- Planetary Defense – Observe NEOs using your Unistellar telescope, for ages 14 and older.
- Asteroid Occultations – Make observations of asteroid occultations using your Unistellar telescope, for ages 14 and older.
- Exoplanet Watch – Use remote robotic telescopes and archived data to gather data about exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. Analyze the data using authentic science tools (they have tutorials). Submit the results into a NASA database, college and older.
- Citizens in Space – Project intends to build 100 experiments to fly on space flights, which are expected to begin in late 2013 or early 2014, college and older.
GSUSA Citizen Scientist Journeys
- Daisy – Daisy Think Like a Citizen Scientist – do hands-on activities to learn how to make observations and collect data
- Brownie – Brownie Think Like a Citizen Science – 2 observation games and a SciStarter project
- Junior – Junior Think Like a Citizen Scientist – 2 observation games and a SciStarter project
- Cadette – Cadette Think Like a Citizen Scientist – make observations about your environment, create a community field guide and a SciStarter project
- Senior – Senior Think Like a Citizen Scientist – make observations about your environment, design a way to test a hypothesis and a SciStarter project
- Ambassador – Ambassador Think Like a Citizen Scientist – 3 observation sessions of a citizen science project from SciStarter and collect data from you community
The Badge Archive 