In our ongoing series exploring NASA’s exciting Citizen Science projects, we’ve looked at how volunteers help identify galaxies, spot Martian clouds, investigate active asteroids, and determine if we’re alone in the universe. Now, we turn our eyes to something even more elusive: exoasteroids. Through the ExoAsteroids project, you can help scientists detect mysterious space rocks orbiting distant stars—objects that have never been directly observed before.
What Are Exoasteroids?
We know our own solar system is full of asteroids, from the Main Belt to the Trojan swarms and beyond. But what about other solar systems? Do they have similar rocky debris orbiting their stars? Scientists believe the answer is yes—but no one has ever seen one. That’s where you come in.
Exoasteroids (short for “extrasolar asteroids”) are theorized chunks of rock and debris orbiting stars outside our solar system. Though invisible to telescopes, their presence may be detected when they block a tiny bit of starlight, causing a brief, subtle dip in brightness. The challenge is that these dips are fleeting, rare, and easily confused with noise in the data—so finding them requires careful, human-powered observation.
How the Project Works
ExoAsteroids is hosted on Zooniverse and led by a team of astrophysicists using data from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). Volunteers examine light curves—graphs that show how a star’s brightness changes over time—to search for dips that could hint at an exoasteroid passing in front of the star.
Because exoasteroid signals are small and non-repeating, they’re difficult for automated algorithms to spot. But the human eye is surprisingly good at identifying unusual patterns and one-off events. By marking interesting dips, participants help scientists build a catalog of candidates to investigate more deeply.
Why It Matters
Detecting exoasteroids would be a breakthrough in our understanding of planetary systems beyond our own. It could give scientists new insight into how solar systems form, evolve, and distribute material like water and organic molecules. It could also help us understand the risks of asteroid impacts here at home.
This project is also part of a broader effort to open up science to everyone. Whether you’re a student, a retired engineer, or an amateur astronomer here in Denver, your time and attention can genuinely move science forward.
How to Get Started
Getting involved is easy:
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Visit the ExoAsteroids project page on Zooniverse.
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Read the short tutorial to learn what to look for.
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Start classifying light curves—each only takes a few seconds to analyze.
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Discuss interesting findings with other volunteers and researchers in the project’s Talk forum.
Even a few minutes of your time can contribute to real scientific discovery.
Keep Looking Up
While we’ve found thousands of planets orbiting other stars, spotting an exoasteroid is still the stuff of science fiction—until someone like you helps make it a reality. So whether you’re clouded out here in Denver or just looking for a new way to connect with the cosmos, give ExoAsteroids a try.
Clear skies and happy asteroid-gazing!
