Over the past few months, we’ve been exploring the many ways amateur astronomers and the public can contribute to real scientific discovery through NASA’s Citizen Science projects. So far, we’ve highlighted Galaxy Zoo and its new JWST data, Cloudspotting on Mars, Active Asteroids, Are We Alone in the Universe?, and ExoAsteroids. Each of these projects offers a unique way to support space science from your computer at home or telescope in the field. In this post, we turn our gaze to the cold, dim outskirts of our own solar system with a project that might just lead you to discover a new planet—or a hidden brown dwarf. Welcome to Backyard Worlds: Planet 9.
What Is Backyard Worlds: Planet 9?
Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 is a citizen science project hosted on Zooniverse.org that invites volunteers to help search for new worlds beyond Neptune. By examining infrared images from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, participants look for moving objects that might have been missed by automated searches. These could include distant planets, brown dwarfs, or even previously unknown objects orbiting our Sun.
The project gets its name from the hypothetical “Planet 9,” a yet-undetected object thought to explain unusual orbits of some icy bodies in the outer solar system. While no one has found Planet 9—yet—participants have already helped identify dozens of brown dwarfs and other intriguing objects, some just a few light-years away.
How Does It Work?
The science behind Backyard Worlds relies on the fact that nearby objects move across the sky relative to more distant stars. By comparing a series of WISE images taken years apart, users can spot these movements—typically seen as a small “dipole” or shifting blob of light. These images are turned into short flipbook-style animations called “difference images.” Your job? Watch them closely and mark anything that moves.
This is a task where human eyes still outperform computers, especially when it comes to spotting faint, slow-moving objects that don’t behave quite like stars or galaxies.
What Can You Discover?
You might think the age of exploration is behind us, but through this project, volunteers have helped discover:
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Over 100 new brown dwarfs
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Several white dwarfs and low-mass stars
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A rare “Y-dwarf” only about 20 light-years away
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Possible new members of our solar system’s extreme outer regions
One participant even earned co-author credit on a published scientific paper. The opportunity to contribute to real discoveries—possibly even a planet—isn’t just hype. It’s happening now.
How to Get Started
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Visit the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project page on Zooniverse.
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Click “Get Started” and watch the brief tutorial that teaches you how to read the flipbooks and what to look for.
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Begin classifying—simply mark anything that appears to move across the frames.
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Join the discussion boards to ask questions, share your finds, and learn from other volunteers and scientists.
You don’t need any prior experience, software, or telescope—just curiosity and a bit of time. The more eyes on the data, the better the chances of catching something remarkable.
Keep Looking Up
Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 proves that exploration is alive and well—even in your pajamas. Whether you’re helping catalog distant stars or possibly discovering a new planet, your time and attention can directly support NASA’s mission and our understanding of the cosmos. So, fire up that browser, put on your detective hat, and help hunt for our solar system’s hidden neighbors.
Clear skies and happy planet-hunting!
