NASA says fewer than 30 active asteroids, rocky bodies that grow comet-like tails, have been discovered since 1949. Finding more of them is hard for computers, because a faint tail can look like a smudge, a galaxy or a camera flaw. The Active Asteroids project asks ordinary people to look at the images instead, and no prior knowledge is required.
That project is one of several real programs where the public can contribute to the study of small bodies. Some need only a web browser and a few minutes. Others ask for a telescope, accurate timing and patience. This guide describes only projects confirmed on NASA, Zooniverse or Minor Planet Center pages as of November 11, 2026. Projects change, so each section says what the project page itself reported.
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Image-checking projects you can do in a browser
These projects show you telescope pictures and ask a simple question. Training comes with the project, and sessions take minutes.
| Project | What you do | You need | Status noted on project pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Asteroids | Look for comet-like tails on asteroids in images from the 4-meter (13-foot) Blanco telescope in Chile | A phone or computer | Open on NASA's page, updated January 14, 2026; main workflow nearly complete in a September 5, 2026 note |
| Rubin Comet Catchers | Check short flip-book animations of moving objects from Rubin Observatory for tails or fuzzy halos | A phone or computer | Launched in 2025; NASA's page last updated June 25, 2026 |
| Daily Minor Planet | Mark objects flagged by asteroid-detection software as real or not real | A computer, tablet or phone | Launched in 2023; NASA's page last updated July 8, 2026 |
| The Sungrazer Project | Search images from the SOHO spacecraft for comets that pass very close to the Sun | A laptop or desktop and a strong connection | Launched in 2006; NASA's page last updated October 20, 2026 |
A few details matter for each one.
Active Asteroids is a Zooniverse project run with NASA, which launched in 2021. Volunteers judge whether an object in the center of an image might be active. The project's note from September 5, 2026 says the main workflow is about 98 percent complete, that a new flip-book workflow is being tested, and that a sister project called HyperActive Asteroids, using data from Hawaii, was coming online soon. Check the page before starting, because the open workflows change.
Rubin Comet Catchers works on images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which surveys the Southern Hemisphere sky each night. Volunteers review short animations, called flip books, built from Rubin data instead of single still pictures. They look for a halo or tail from escaping gas or dust, and they can discuss odd objects with scientists and other volunteers in the project's Talk forums. The goal, NASA says, is to find rare comets and asteroids that carry water.
Daily Minor Planet uses images from the Catalina Sky Survey telescope on Mt. Lemmon or the 2.3-meter (7.5-foot) Bok telescope at Kitt Peak. Volunteer reviews help separate real asteroids from false signals such as satellites and camera artifacts. NASA's page says the tutorial and field guide take about 5 to 15 minutes, and that volunteers might help discover the next near-Earth asteroid. The instruments that produce those images are described in the guide to the telescopes that find and study small bodies.
The Sungrazer Project is the most demanding of the four. NASA says it takes hours to days to get started, is highly competitive and needs a laptop or desktop rather than a phone. No prior knowledge is required, and a guide and tutorial are provided.
School and community search campaigns
The International Astronomical Search Collaboration, or IASC, runs campaigns in which teams search sets of time-lapse telescope images, including images from telescopes in Hawaii, for moving objects such as main-belt asteroids, near-Earth objects and objects beyond Neptune. Each participant gets a data packet of four images, and campaigns typically last about a month. You register on the IASC website, choose a campaign and a team name, and practice with sample images while you wait.
The software is Astrometrica, a free program for flipping between images and marking objects that move against the background. NASA notes that it runs only on Windows. According to NASA, since 2006 IASC participants have been credited with 3,800 provisional asteroid detections, 120 numbered asteroids, 2 near-Earth objects, 7 trans-Neptunian objects and 1 Jupiter-family comet. A numbered asteroid is one whose orbit is well enough known to earn a permanent number, the step described in the guide to how minor planets are discovered.
Reporting your own measurements
Amateurs with a telescope and a camera can measure positions of asteroids and comets and report them to the Minor Planet Center. The MPC's getting-started page for new observers sets out what is needed.
- [ ] A telescope of any kind, reflector or refractor, with a known focal length and camera pixel size
- [ ] A pixel scale of about 2 arcseconds per pixel or finer, and no worse than 3
- [ ] Image-processing software that fits the stars in the frame to a reference catalog
- [ ] A computer clock set to UTC and checked at the start of each session
- [ ] Measurements made against at least three comparison stars, never estimated by eye
- [ ] Star positions taken from the Gaia catalogs, which the MPC recommends
- [ ] Reports only for detections with a high enough signal-to-noise ratio to survive independent review
The MPC offers target lists, including a planning aid for near-Earth asteroids, and an ephemeris service that predicts where an object will be. Observatory codes and report formats are covered in other sections of the MPC's documentation, so start there before sending anything.
Timing is the hard part, which is why the guide stresses a clock checked against a reliable standard. Observing happens at night. Never point a telescope or binoculars at the Sun without a solar filter made for that purpose.
Another path is occultation timing, where volunteers record the instant a small body passes in front of a star. The method is described in the guide to stellar occultations.
If you would rather look than click
Some people prefer to watch the sky than to classify pictures. Comets can be seen with binoculars when a bright one is on show, and the guide to seeing a comet with your eyes or binoculars covers finding alerts, dark skies and star charts.
Common mistakes and myths
"You need a telescope to take part." The four image-checking projects above need only a phone or computer, and a laptop or desktop for Sungrazer. A telescope is needed only for your own measurements.
"Your clicks are just busywork." Projects state real goals. Active Asteroids aims to map water in the Solar System. Daily Minor Planet supports NASA's planetary defense work. Rubin Comet Catchers aims to find rare comets and water-bearing asteroids in Rubin images.
"Projects stay open forever." They do not. Active Asteroids reported its main workflow nearly complete in September 2026. Always read the project's latest update before investing time.
"A volunteer who spots something becomes the discoverer." Discovery credit follows Minor Planet Center rules, which give credit to the earliest identifiable observation. Naming comes only after an object is numbered, as described in the guide to how asteroids and comets get their names.
"Sungrazer is as easy as the others." NASA warns that it is competitive and takes hours or days to learn.
Frequently asked questions
Is any science background needed?
No. Active Asteroids, Rubin Comet Catchers, Daily Minor Planet and the Sungrazer Project all say that no prior knowledge is required, and each provides a tutorial.
How much time does it take?
Image-checking sessions take minutes, and the Daily Minor Planet tutorial takes about 5 to 15 minutes. The Sungrazer Project and IASC need longer to get started.
Can children or classrooms join?
IASC works through registered teams and one-month campaigns, which suits a group. The project pages do not all state age rules, so check each one before signing up.
Do these projects cost anything?
NASA's IASC page calls the Astrometrica software free, and the other three image-checking projects run in a web browser. Read each page for any sign-up terms.
Sources
- Active Asteroids. NASA Science citizen science. https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/active-asteroids/
- Active Asteroids. Zooniverse, project page with update of September 5, 2026. https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/orionnau/active-asteroids
- Rubin Comet Catchers. NASA Science citizen science. https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/rubin-comet-catchers/
- Daily Minor Planet. NASA Science citizen science. https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/daily-minor-planet/
- International Astronomical Search Collaboration. NASA Science citizen science. https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/international-astronomical-search-collaboration/
- The Sungrazer Project. NASA Science citizen science. https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/the-sungrazer-project/
- Getting started in minor body astrometry. Minor Planet Center documentation. https://docs.minorplanetcenter.net/mpc-ops-docs/astrometry/getting-started/