Acts of Science: Connected
What’s the Weather Like on Mars?
Originally Aired
April 2, 2026
Topic
Citizen Science Month, America 250, Mars, Clouds, Space, Zooniverse, NASA Citizen Science
Audience
Anyone and everyone!
Watch the Webinar
Description
During this virtual event, you’ll be guided on how to identify clouds and atmospheric features in online images of Mars to inform future missions.
Hear from the project scientist, ask questions, and discover how your participation supports important research AND counts towards a goal of 2.50 Million Acts of Science this April (Citizen Science Month!).
Speakers
Marek Slipski
Research Scientist
Armin Kleinböhl
Research Scientist
Link Bank
Agenda
Access all links and resources for the event here—bookmark this page so you can easily jump back in anytime.
Today we participate in Cloudspotting on Mars: a citizen science project that aims to map all the clouds in the Martian atmosphere.
Introduction
Set up Instructions
- Create a free SciStarter account: SciStarter.org/login.
For participants under 13, adults can set up a family account or educators can create a set of class accounts. - Sign up for Zooniverse at Zooniverse.org (also free!).
- Return to SciStarter.org and click the dropdown icon next to your profile name and select “My Info & Settings” to visit your SciStarter Dashboard.
- Add your Zooniverse username to the “Affiliate Integration” box to start tracking contributions.
- Visit the Cloudspotting on Mars page on Zooniverse to get started on a workflow. Before you work on real data, make sure to look through the brief tutorial.
- Start searching for clouds! Completely label as many images as you’d like.
Why do we include steps 3 & 4? By adding your Zooniverse username to your SciStarter Account Settings, this enables all of your classifications to Affiliate projects to count towards 2.50 Million Acts of Science!
Exploring the Project
Cloudspotting on Mars
Look at Mars Orbiter images to locate clouds in the martian atmosphere
Anytime
Anywhere
NASA, Mars, Zooniverse
Speakers
Marek Slipski
Research Scientist
Armin Kleinböhl
Research Scientist
Special Guests & Interviews
Derrick Pitts
Chief Astronomer of the Franklin Institute
Marc Kuchner
NASA Citizen Science Officer
Sarah Marcotte
NASA STEM Engagement Network lead at JPL
Acts of Science – Make it Count!
The SciStarter team will report the Acts of Science completed during the April 2nd events. If you sign onto zoom with us at any point during this event, you will be included in our official attendance report too.
Why stop there? Continue participating and report all the classifications you complete in April to CitizenScienceMonth.org/report!
Let’s See the Impact
The results for the 4/2 events will be here. Check back at the end to find out!
Keep participating–This project is available 24/7! Use our Take Home Flyer to start up again anytime.
Register for More Acts of Science: Connected
APR 10
Choose a session:
2 PM ET
6 PM ET
Zoom
Voices of Freedom: Transcribing Post-Civil War Handwritten Records
Featured Project: Smithsonian Transcription Center
Help preserve American Reconstruction-era stories by transcribing historical documents and engaging with Smithsonian experts online.
APR 16
Choose a session:
2 AM ET
6 PM ET
Zoom
Game Night for Science: Play Stall Catchers Online
Featured Project: Stall Catchers
Play an online game that speeds up Alzheimer’s research, with guidance from a Cornell project scientists.
APR 22
Choose a session:
11 AM ET
6 PM ET
Zoom
Earth Day Animal Spot-A-Thon
Featured Project: Snapshot Wisconsin
Identify animals in trail camera photos to aid wildlife conservation and connect with the project team from Snapshot Wisconsin online.
APR 29
Choose a session:
6 PM ET
9 PM ET
Zoom
Comets, Clues, and Our Cosmic Story
Featured Project: Rubin Comet Catchers
Scan NASA images to find comets and other space objects, uncovering clues about our solar system while interacting with the NASA project leader via Zoom.