Citizen Science

Citizen science is collaborative research between amateur and professional scientists who share a common goal. Most citizen scientists are everyday people, who are curious about science and want to collaborate with others.

Unistellar focuses on citizen space science, which explores the realm beyond planet Earth. Professional space scientists often need the support of citizen scientists – there are simply not enough devices and time to collect all the information that exists about our universe, so citizen scientists use their passion to help gather and analyze data. This work allows us to expand our knowledge of the universe.

community map

Citizen Astronomer Network

The Unistellar Network is a worldwide community of Citizen Astronomers working in partnership with professional astronomers at the SETI Institute. Members use their Unistellar telescope to collect astronomical data, which is supplied to SETI Institute astronomers who then use it to develop predictions and models. Unistellar community members connect through social media or slack to share results and plan observation nights with one another.

Our Citizen Astronomers observe space objects such as asteroids, comets, exoplanets and more. No matter your generation, geography, education or interests, there is a meaningful citizen science program  for you.

Your Science Programs

PLANETARY

DEFENSE

Protect our planet! Monitor these fast-moving, near-Earth asteroids to study their orbits and shape.

EXOPLANETS

Explore new planets! Participate in the search and discovery of planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy. In partnership with NASA.

COMETS

Observe these space snowballs to watch out for changes in activity, like outbursts, during their dance around our Sun.

ASTEROIDS

Detect the shadow cast on Earth by rocky asteroids passing in front of a star to help astronomers solve the mysteries of our solar system.

COSMIC

CATACLYSMS

Witness the aftermath of explosions in space! Study how supernovae and other cosmic cataclysmic events change over time.

We already accomplished scientific missions

Fragmentation of comet ATLAS

A group of 40 citizen astronomers from around the world simultaneously observed the Comet ATLAS to build a highly detailed super image. The crowd-generated images highlight the disintegration of the comet.

Shaping the 69th Near-Earth Asteroid in history

For two months, 26 citizen astronomers observed an asteroid flying by our planet. With their observations, scientists successfully shaped the asteroid 1999 AP10. “It fascinates me how our observations can result in something so detailed,” affirmed citizen astronomer Justus, from Georgia.

Join Our Community Tonight

You too can become a citizen astronomer, discover new planets, refine asteroid orbits, and more. All you need is a Unistellar telescope and to download our Unistellar App. To enroll in the scientific programs, fill out the form in the App so that we can provide you with up-to-date citizen science information.