NASA Seeks Citizen 'Burst Chasers' To Help Solve Galactic Mysteries

ACROSS AMERICA — If you look at the cosmos and feel as if the universe is talking to you, NASA has a deal for you — a chance to become a “Burst Chaser” and help collect data that could increase scientists’ understanding of the origins of our galaxies and universe.

NASA telescopes regularly identify bursts, as these massive explosions that expel huge amounts of energy are known. The gamma-ray bursts that scientists track occurred billions of years ago in deep space and carry messages from the very distant past about how the lives of stars end, and massive black holes form.

That’s where Burst Chasing comes in.

As volunteer scientists, they’ll examine plots that show bursts of energy detected by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory telescope, which has been in low Earth orbit since 2004.

Their observations will be used in the first catalog of gamma-ray pulse structures and contribute to future research on the topic. Gamma-ray bursts are known to be mostly connected to supernovae or the mergers of neutron stars and black holes, but exactly how these events produce pulses with such a variety of characteristics remains a mystery.

“We need your help to classify these pulses for more clues of what they really are!” the project’s principal investigator Amy Lien, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Tampa who specializes in gamma-ray bursts, said in a news release.

Here is a link for volunteers to sign up on NASA’s website.