Help NASA search for new worlds

NASA invites all interested parties to join it in the search for as yet undiscovered objects at the edges of the Solar System. To this end, the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 website was launched. The U.S. Space Agency is encouraging people to join the space viewing.

Searching space in the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project involves looking at krótic recordings, whichóre were assembled from images taken with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) probe. On the videos you can see slowly moving objects.

The premise of the project is to review the millionóin the krótkich animations, on whichórych there is a small piece of the sky. The task of participantów is to look for changes in the images shown. The possible find will still be verified by the teamsół scientistófrom NASA. In the case of a confirmed discovery, you can count on a mention in a press release.

But why this Planet 9 in the title of the NASA project? This is a procedure designed to attract attention. Although not quite. In January last year, several objects were spottedóin the Solar System, whichór whose behavior indicated that they might be affected by the gravity of a yet undiscovered planet. The information caused quite a stir in the media.

If there is indeed a ninth planet, it should be captured in the sky survey made by WISE. With the help of this telescope in the space of 2011-2012 the entire sky was scanned. The resultingób largest mid-infrared sky survey.

– From Neptune to Proxima Centauri, the closest star to us other than the Sun, is just over four light years away. The vast majority of this area is unexplored. This is due to the low amount of light, whichóre getting there. Even large objects in that area barely reflect sunlight and are barely visible. But looking in the infrared through the WISE telescope you can see objects które might otherwise go unnoticed – said Marc Buchner, project manager of the.

If you are going to join the project you do not have to limit yourself to the Solar System at all. As part of the exploration, further corners of space can be viewed. There just waiting to be discovered brown dwarfs, comets, asteroids or failed stars. For snooping in interplanetary space, visit Backyard Worlds: Planet 9.

And below is an animation encouraging participation in the project prepared by NASA.