Acts of Science: Connected
Comets, Clues, and Our Cosmic Story
Originally Aired
April 29, 2026
Topic
Citizen Science Month, America 250, Space, Comets
Audience
Anyone and everyone!
Watch the Webinar
Description
Watch the recorded webinar to be guided on how to identify active comets from Rubin Observatory images in the citizen science project, Rubin Comet Catchers. Our participation helps scientists get closer to understanding comets and unveiling cosmic mysteries like the origin of Earth’s water.
Hear from the project experts, 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
Colin Chandler
Project Founder
Devanshi Singh
Project Scientist
Link Bank
Agenda
Access all links and resources for the event below.
On April 29, 2026, we’re participating in Rubin Comet Catchers, a citizen science project that aims to locate active comets and asteroids in space using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
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 Rubin Comet Catchers page on Zooniverse to get started on a workflow. Before you work on real data, look through the brief tutorial.
- Start searching for comets!
[Optional] Join the Acts of Science Leaderboard for April.
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
Rubin Comet Catchers
Classify images of solar system bodies as having a tail or not, helping us identify potential active comets!
Anytime
Anywhere
Space, Comets, NASA
Speakers
Colin Chandler
Project Founder
Devanshi Singh
Project Scientist
Acts of Science – Make it Count!
The SciStarter team will report the Acts of Science completed during the April 29th event. If you sign onto zoom with us at any point during this event, you will be included in our official attendance report too.
For the rest of your participation in April 2026, report all the classifications to CitizenScienceMonth.org/report!
Let’s See the Impact
The results for “Comets, Clues, and Our Cosmic Story” will be here. Check back after the event to find out!
Keep participating–This project is available 24/7! Use our Take Home Flyer to start up again anytime.
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