Citizen Stargazers Contribute to Discovering Exploding Star

Kilonova Seekers was developed by Dr. Lisa Kelsey from the University of Cambridge and Dr. Tom Killestein from the University of Warwick. Dr. Kelsey was hired by Professor Laura Nuttall from the University of Portsmouth as part of a public engagement project involving data from the GOTO telescope system.

Dr. Kelsey worked on the project at the University of Portsmouth for three years before moving to her current position at the Institute of Astronomy and Kavli Institute for Cosmology.

Professor Laura Nuttall expressed pride in the achievements of Kilonova Seekers, engaging people across different time zones and contributing to the understanding of astrophysics through public involvement.

Dr. Kelsey highlighted the power of citizen science in making novel discoveries in vast datasets, with the recent discovery of GOTO0650 being a result of dedicated volunteer efforts.

Co-lead Dr. Tom Killestein emphasized the real-time astrophysics opportunities provided by Kilonova Seekers, showcasing the importance of public contributions in identifying significant objects like GOTO0650.

The project aims to involve the public in labeling and validating observations, ensuring important discoveries are not overlooked due to the vast amount of data.

Volunteer Cledison Marcos da Silva shared the personal significance of the discovery, highlighting the positive impact of citizen science during challenging times.

Volunteer Mayahuel Torres-Guerrero described the rewarding journey from discovery to publication, emphasizing the learning opportunities and excitement of monitoring echo outbursts.

Kilonova Seekers has engaged over 3,500 members of the public worldwide, offering the chance to discover supernovae and variable stars using real data in real-time.