Photo Credit: NASA
Linked mp3 file: "Mesmerised" by Mike Wilding
Thanks to the Christmas-Day posting on Brian's Soapbox, I've just been cataloguing galaxies on Galaxyzoo.org. It's fascinating "work".
With recent advances in digital imaging technology, astronomers are now being swamped with data from every part of the sky, resulting in countless galaxies that have yet to be identified; and most of them have never been seen before. They came up with the "bright" idea of enlisting the help of the general public in cataloguing these beautiful objects - each one of which is many thousands of light-years across and almost certainly many millions of light-years away from us. It's absolutely awe-inspiring.
You first register as a user, and then you take a little test in order to "qualify" to analyse the images. These are then presented to you one at a time, and you must decide on the type of galaxy you are viewing. You can choose between the main two types: spiral and elliptical, and can also give additional details.
Why not give it a go? I bet you'll get hooked if you do! And - just by sheer coincidence (honest!) - a couple of years back I composed this little ditty which, for no particular reason at the time, I named "Spiral Galaxy". I guess I just felt it evoked that kind of image.
Anyway, do have fun.
Mike
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