NASA program appeals to public to crowdsource info about solar jets

Nov. 9 (UPI) -- NASA has relaunched its Solar Jet Hunter program that aims to crowdsource observations of the gigantic plumes of matter that shoot out from the surface of the sun.

The project was launched in 2022 but was briefly paused as scientists worked to update the project with new features and data.

"The Solar Jet Hunter project asks you to help find solar jets, bursts of gas so hot that electrons are stripped away from their atoms," NASA said in a summary of the project.

NASA provided instructions on how the public can identify and mark solar jets in images.

"With your input, the Solar Jet Hunter science team is building a catalogue of jets that will be used by many solar physicists," NASA said in a press release Thursday.

NASA says solar jets can disrupt Earth-based communications systems and pose a risk to astronauts.

The project tasks participants with identifying the jets in images and footage and marking them for a database.

According to NASA, it takes about 10 minutes to complete the tutorial that is posted on the project website.

According to the science portal zooniverse.com, the project has more than 3,900 volunteers.