Speaker
Description
Citizen science is a form of participation and collaboration that actively involves non-scientists in scientific research. It is used in a wide range of areas, including ecology, medicine, and astronomy. In recent years, citizen science has emerged as a powerful tool in astronomical research, enabling people from all over the world, regardless of their age, nationality, faith or gender, to contribute to real scientific discoveries. In the field of asteroid search and observation, citizen scientists can currently help professional astronomers in three projects: International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), The Daily Minor Planet (TDMP), and Come on! Impacting ASteroids (COIAS). This is particularly evident in the context of Planetary Defense, where detection and tracking of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are critical for assessing potential impact threats. The talk attempts to analyze these projects and presents a first-hand experience from an active participant involved in each of them. This work shows my observations, research, and discoveries of asteroids as a citizen scientist and high school student. The presentation will cover different types of minor planets, including Main-Belt Asteroids, Near-Earth Objects, Jupiter Trojans, and Trans-Neptunian objects, illustrating how citizen science contributes to our broader understanding of the Solar System dynamics.
