Over the past few months, we’ve explored some of the most engaging ways to get involved in NASA Citizen Science, spotlighting projects like Galaxy Zoo (now with JWST data!), Cloudspotting on Mars, Active Asteroids, Are We Alone in the Universe?, ExoAsteroids, and Backyard Worlds: Planet 9. Each one has invited us to be part of real scientific discovery, using our curiosity—and often nothing more than a web browser—to contribute directly to NASA’s missions. In this final post in our series, we’re turning our attention to one more stellar opportunity: the Eclipsing Binary Patrol. This project gives volunteers a chance to help catalog and better understand one of the most fascinating phenomena in stellar astronomy—eclipsing binary stars.
What Is the Eclipsing Binary Patrol?
The Eclipsing Binary Patrol is a NASA citizen science project hosted on the Zooniverse. It invites participants to examine light curves—graphs that show how a star’s brightness changes over time—to identify eclipsing binary stars. These are systems where two stars orbit each other so closely that, from our point of view, they periodically pass in front of one another, causing their combined light to dim in regular, predictable patterns.
While NASA missions like TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and Kepler have collected vast amounts of stellar data, automated systems can miss subtleties in the light curves. Human volunteers help spot patterns and features that machines may overlook, making your participation a real contribution to astrophysical science.
Why Are Eclipsing Binaries Important?
Eclipsing binaries are more than just cool cosmic light shows—they’re essential for measuring fundamental properties of stars like mass, radius, luminosity, and temperature. Because the stars eclipse one another, astronomers can make unusually precise measurements of these properties, making them crucial benchmarks for models of stellar evolution.
In some cases, the data you help classify may even reveal unusual or rare systems, like triple star systems or stars with distorted shapes due to tidal forces. Your eyes can spot the unexpected where algorithms fail.
How You Can Get Involved
Getting started is easy:
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Visit The Eclipsing Binary Patrol.
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Sign in (or create a free Zooniverse account).
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Begin classifying light curves. Each graph comes with guidance to help you recognize the hallmarks of eclipsing binaries—dips in brightness, repeating patterns, or unexpected features.
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Join the project’s Talk board to ask questions or discuss interesting finds with other volunteers and the project scientists.
No telescope, advanced math, or astrophysics degree required—just your curiosity and a willingness to learn.
Keep Looking Up
This post marks the end of our blog series on NASA Citizen Science projects, but it’s hardly the end of the road. There are hundreds of other projects out there waiting for fresh eyes and curious minds—from mapping kelp forests to monitoring solar storms. You can browse more at the NASA Citizen Science website.
If you’re looking for ways to track your progress or get recognition for your efforts, consider exploring the Astronomical League’s Citizen Science Program. The AL now offers an official Citizen Science Observing Program, awarding certificates to amateur astronomers who complete a set number of tasks and contribute to approved projects—like the ones we’ve covered in this series. It’s a great way to gain structure, motivation, and even earn some space-themed swag while doing real science. You can find more details at astroleague.org/citizen-science-special-program.
So whether you’re classifying galaxies, chasing Martian clouds, or hunting eclipsing binaries, remember: your clicks make a difference!
Clear skies and happy binary-hunting!
