Epsilon Aurigae artwork by Brian Thieme

Epsilon Aurigae is a supergiant star located 2,000 light years from Earth that mysteriously gets eclipsed every 27.1 years by an equally large unknown dark object. The event has baffled scientists since 1821, but through the Citizen Sky project, you’ll make observations and analyses that could decipher this scientific puzzle!

The next eclipse of Epsilon Aurigae began in August 2009 and will continue into 2011. The Citizen Sky project provides you with a finder chart and tutorials so you can collect and contribute scientific data to help solve the mystery. Epsilon Aurigae is a variable star—this means it changes in brightness over time. Collecting data on these changes can help us understand the star. No equipment or prior experience is required; the star is so bright in fall, winter and spring that it can be observed by anyone with a good pair of eyes, even in the most light-polluted cities.

Project owners + coordinators:
Citizen Sky team, (email form)