They are asking members of the public to do the job.
With millions of galaxies photographed through the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, astronomers need your help cataloging them all. One astronomer has set up a web site called Galaxy Zoo. This allows anyone with an Internet connection to log on and participate in the project of cataloging and sorting all of these galaxies photographed. The interface is simple and easy to use, asking simple questions that lead to an accurate tag for a galaxy. It doesn't cost you anything and the project allows a non-professional get plugged into one serious program.
Kevin Schawinski, a member of Oxford University’s astrophysics department, said that using a large group of volunteers was still the most efficient way of completing the task.
“The human brain is actually better than a computer at pattern-recognition tasks like this,” he said. “Whether you spend five minutes, 15 minutes or five hours using the site your contribution will be invaluable.”
Visitors to the website can read a brief tutorial on galaxy identification before classifying the images, many of which have never been examined before, using a simple tick-box feedback form. Visitors will also be able to print out posters of the galaxies they have explored.
