Trending Now - Citizen Scientists Expand Brown Dwarf Discoveries for NASA

WHO:

Phys.org - NASA's Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project involves volunteers who contributed to the discoveries.

NASA - The organization behind the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project.

WHAT:

Phys.org - Volunteers have doubled the number of known brown dwarfs.

NASA - Over 3,000 new brown dwarfs have been discovered in the past 10 years.

WHERE:

Phys.org - The discoveries pertain to brown dwarfs near the Sun.

WHEN:

Phys.org - The project began 10 years ago.

WHY:

NASA - Brown dwarfs are significant as they are balls of gas the size of Jupiter, less massive than stars.

HOW:

Phys.org - The discoveries were made through the contributions of citizen scientists participating in the project.

(UPDATED May 5, 2026 23:19 UTC)

NASA's Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project has seen volunteers significantly enhance our understanding of the cosmos by doubling the number of known brown dwarfs, with over 3,000 new discoveries made in the past decade. These intriguing celestial objects, which are gas bodies comparable in size to Jupiter but less massive than stars, are located near our Sun. The remarkable findings are a testament to the power of citizen scientists who have actively participated in this groundbreaking initiative.