Covering the people, projects and phenomena of citizen science
Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
Celebrate the Summer Solstice with Citizen Science!
By Arvind Suresh, Jun 21, 2015
AlastairG / Creative Commons
Our editors have selected some sizzling citizen science projects in celebration of SummerSolstice on June 21. Several are also appropriate for kids of all ages (keep those minds sharp over the summer break!).
“The Earth is at its furthest from the sun during the SummerSolstice.The warmth ofsummer comes exclusively from the tilt of the Earth’s axis, and not from how close it is to the sun at any given time.”
Help scientists predict solar storms with NASA’s data, images and tools. Or create your own research project using these tools and NOVA’s supplemental videos.
Count and track male/female fireflies in your back yard for 15 minutes a night and contribute to research on the geographic distribution of these favorite summertime insects.
As soon as the sun sets, the summer night sky offers an incredibly different, sublime experience. The Dark Sky Meter (available for iPhones) allows citizen scientists to contribute to a global map of nighttime light pollution.
Have you seen a jellyfish on the beach yet? Report it to Jellywatch – a public database documenting ocean conditions. These researchers are especially interested in jellyfish washing up, but they also track red tides, squid and mammal strandings, and other indicators of ocean health.
Arvind Suresh is science communicator and a former laboratory biologist, he has a Master’s degree in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh. He enjoys reading, teaching, talking and writing science. Connect with him on Twitter @suresh_arvind.
