Galaxies as far as the eye can see

Link of the day for Sunday, July 29

Modern-day telescopes such as the Hubble have allowed us to peek deep inside distant galaxies. Coupled with sophisticated equipment to analyze the information coming from these telescopes, we have the technology to gain a better understanding on how galaxies form.

But computers can only do so much. The human eye and human instinct is the perfect machine to analyze visual data, such as the shape of a particular galaxy. This is where GalaxyZoo comes in.

No previous scientific experience necessary - anyone can participate. All you have to do is look at a picture of a galaxy, and decide if it is: (a) elliptical, (b) spiral, or (c) unknown. Just give it your best guess, and don't worry if you're wrong. The same galaxy will be analyzed by hundreds of other people, so the laws of averages will prevail.

After signing up for a free account, I recommend running through the very short tutorial - this will help you in your task. Just sign in to GalaxyZoo, and identify a few galaxies - it only takes a few seconds!

Who knows ? There may be one out there with your name on it!

Update: MyGalaxies and GalaxyZoo forums now open!

[http://www.galaxyzoo.org/]