Cosmic Pioneers: Discovering Distant Galaxies Together

A Do NASA Science LIVE! Event featuring NASA-supported citizen science project Dark Energy Explorers

February 11, 2026

Everyone!

Dark Energy, Galaxies, NASA Science

We met the scientist behind Dark Energy Explorers, a project designed to look deep into space for galaxies and black holes. Your participation work can help scientists make the largest map of the universe yet and better understand dark energy.

Emma Giles

Director of Programs

SciStarter

Dr. Lindsay House

Project Leader

Sarah Marcotte

NASA Networks Group Lead Solar System Ambassadors


Project Mentioned

Dark Energy Explorers

Help measure dark energy when the universe was just ~2-3 billion years old.

Acts of Science: Connected Public Events

2 PM ET & 9 PM ET

Credit: NASA Image Library

What’s the weather like on Mars?

Featured Project: Cloudspotting on Mars

During the livestream, your in-person guests will learn how to explore NASA satellite images and help spot clouds on Mars.

Libraries, Ambassadors, museums, schools and community organizations: Event Toolkit for Hosts and Facilitators.

2 PM ET & 6 PM ET

Credit: Smithsonian Institution

Transcription Mission with the Smithsonian Institution

Featured Project: Smithsonian Transcription Center

During the livestream, your in-person guests will transcribe historical documents, helping to reveal and preserve American history.

Libraries, Ambassadors, museums, schools and community organizations: Event Toolkit for Hosts and Facilitators coming soon.

2 PM ET & 6 PM ET & 9 PM ET

Credit: Stall Catchers

Game Night for Science: Play Stall Catchers Online

Featured Project: Stall Catchers

During the livestream, your in-person guests will receive expert instruction to identify blood clots in images to Alzheimer’s research.

Libraries, Ambassadors, museums, schools and community organizations: View Event Toolkit for Hosts and Facilitators.

11 AM ET & 6 PM ET

Credit: Snapshot Wisconsin

Earth Day Animal Spot-A-Thon

Featured Project: Snapshot Wisconsin

During the livestream, your in-person guests will learn how to identify animals in trail camera images to support wildlife conservation research.

Libraries, Ambassadors, museums, schools and community organizations: View Event Toolkit for Hosts and Facilitators.

6 PM ET & 9 PM ET

Credit: NASA Image Library

Comets, Clues and Our Cosmic Story

Featured Project: Rubin Comet Catchers

During the livestream, your in-person guests will look at real space images, learn how to find active comets, and help scientists study the origin for water on Earth and how planets are made.

Libraries, Ambassadors, museums, schools and community organizations: Event Toolkit for Hosts and Facilitators.

SciStarter is the place to find, join, and contribute to science through more than 3,000 formal and informal research projects, events and tools. Our community of citizen science projects enables discovery, organization, and greater participation in science. This is also the place to track your contributions, bookmark things you like, and network with others. Join SciStarter to get started.

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