File: 5 October 2026 · Source date: September 30, 2026 · NASA
new development
NASA's September 30 announcement calls for volunteers for the Overlap Zoo project. In galaxies that are in the same line of sight in the sky, the light of the galaxy behind can make the dust of the one in front visible. This alignment does not necessarily mean that the galaxies are colliding. Participants assist in the research by verifying candidate pairs and marking structures; No special astronomy training is required.
What are we investigating?
The project aims to study how starlight is blocked by dust. Better understanding the impact of dust is important for interpreting galaxies' light and distance measurements. The image used here as the cover is a representation of a representative cosmic web; It is not Overlap Zoo's observation data or a photograph of a particular galaxy pair.
Before reading an image
Our editorial reading suggestion: write what you see in the image and the comment you added to it in two separate sentences. “Two figures standing on top of each other” is a description related to observation; "Two galaxies are colliding" is an interpretation that also needs to be tested. Then ask what additional information might separate the two explanations. This exercise helps us maintain our curiosity without taking a beautiful space image as direct evidence.
Participate in research
You can access the project's guidance via the NASA link below. Read the examples and classification instructions before participating; Instead of pretending to be sure about uncertain images, use the project's uncertainty options. When commenting here, mention which detail you can actually pick out. Do you think it makes more of a difference in astronomy: larger telescopes, better classification, or a combination of the two? Share your reasoning with the community.
Resources and further reading
NASA — Help Overlap Zoo Reveal Cosmic Dust; September 30, 2026 ↗Share your answer
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