The object was a Centaur, an icy body with an orbit between Jupiter and Neptune. These discoveries have led to three publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, with another one in the works right now.вЂќДЄs part of the testing phase, the team noticed an unusual 'smudge' kept showing up around one particular object. Even during the preparations for the project launch, we have made several important discoveries, including discovering a new active object and uncovering information about several previously known objects. вЂњThe project has been years in the making, from selection by the NSF until this launch.

вЂњI am very, very excited the project is finally launching,вЂќ he said. In preparation for the launch, Chandler, an NAU Presidential Fellow, conducted the beta review phase of the project, enlisting the help of more than 200 volunteers, who completed 4,798 classifications of 295 objects.

Appraising volatile availability for prospective asteroid mining efforts and sample-return missions.

Informing spaceflight engineers seeking more practical, inexpensive and environmentally responsible sources of fuel, air and water.

Advising searches for life about where water-a prerequisite for life as we understand it-is found, both in our own solar system and other star systems, too.

Helping to answer key unsolved questions about how much water was delivered to Earth after it formed, and where that water originated.

The implications of finding more active asteroids for science and engineering are far-reaching, including:

вЂњWith the generous help of вЂCitizen ScientistsвЂ™,вЂќ said Chandler, project founder and principal investigator, вЂњwe hope to quadruple the number of known active asteroids and encourage study of an ambiguous population of solar system objects, knowledge of which is currently hampered due to a very small sample size.вЂќ The highly competitive and prestigious program, awarded to only 15 percent of the more than 2,000 yearly applicants, provides three years of funding for ChandlerвЂ™s research. Through funding from a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award in 2018, doctoral student Colin Orion Chandler in Northern Arizona UniversityвЂ™s Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science just launched an ambitious new project, Active Asteroids, which is designed to engage volunteers in the search for more of these enigmatic objects. Roughly only one out of 10,000 asteroids are classified as active asteroids, so an enormous number of observations will be needed over the span of many years to yield a larger sample for study. The study of active asteroids is a relatively new field of solar system science, focusing on objects that have asteroid-like orbits but look more like comets, with visual characteristics such as tails.Д«ecause finding an active asteroid is such a rare event, fewer than 30 of these solar system bodies have been found since 1949, so there is still much for scientists to learn about them. view moreД¬redit: Colin Chandler, Northern Arizona University Image:В The Active Asteroids project is hosted on the Zooniverse platform.

Space engineers star system asteroids