Science Wednesday III

Have you read anything lately about an astronomer or scientist discovering a new planet around a distant star and thought that it would be cool to do just that?? Guess what, you can help!!!

You don't need any fancy observation equipment, or a supercomputer either. All you need is what you have right in your face. If you are reading this, you have the tools necessary to help discover worlds revolving around distant stars. How cool is that??

Go to this site, read up on the project, and download their java widget to get started. I haven't read everything about it, but plan to soon. If you do so before I post about it again, please let me know what you find out.

Here is a brief excerpt from their info page:

Latest update: January 12, 2007

If you’re interested in extrasolar planets, this site is for you.

The near-term goal of the systemic research collaboration is to improve our statistical understanding of the galactic planetary census. This will be accomplished through a large-scale simulation in which the public is invited to participate. No prior experience or expertise with Astronomy is required. All you need is an Internet connection and a desire to learn and explore.

That is all...