Citizen Science and Practical Projects – Flamsteed Workshop Report: 3 July 2025

A group of Flamsteed members met at Mycenae House to take part in a workshop given by Mark Jeffery and Paul May.

Citizen Science (Gravitational Waves) - Mark Jeffery

Mark started the workshop by describing the gravitational wave citizen science project he is currently involved in. This project allows the public to contribute to research by helping to analyse data from gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO and Virgo. These initiatives utilise human pattern recognition abilities to identify noise and glitches in the data, which aids the development of more sensitive detectors and the application of artificial intelligence in the search for gravitational waves from cosmic events.

Mark got us all involved by passing around a number of A4 sheet sets, each comprising a collection of “test” noise signals displayed as frequency/time plots, and a reference sheet describing the characteristics of nine distinct noise types, such as “Blips”, “Koi Fish”, and “Whistles”. We divided into groups with the challenge of matching the names to the noise plots. We all agreed this was far more difficult than it initially appeared and, after ten minutes of head scratching, Mark called the activity to an end by running through the correct matches.

He concluded by encouraging those present to get involved with the project and said he would send out further information by email after the workshop.

Members trying to work out the noise signals with Mark's help (images by Simon Hurst)

Science Projects – Paul May

After a short break, Paul introduced his ideas for science projects that Flamsteed members might be interested in pursuing, either individually or as part of a special interest group where ideas could be shared. These projects could be part of established programmes coordinated by external organisations, such as the British Astronomical Association or the Pro-Amateur Research Collaboration (PARC), or could be internal group initiatives within the Society.

Paul described some projects he has worked on that fall into this latter category:

Stellar Spectroscopy

Studying the spectra of stars using a Star Analyser 100 diffraction grating screwed into a digital camera nosepiece, mounted on a small telescope. This setup produces a spectrum of a target star which can be analysed using software (RSpec) to determine the star’s composition, temperature, and classification. Paul shared results from spectra he had taken of Betelgeuse and Rigel.

Solar Spectroscopy

Spectroscopic studies of the Sun using a spectroheliograph. A device such as the MLAstro SHG 700, recently made commercially available, allows the Sun to be studied at wavelengths throughout the visible solar spectrum.

Solar Differential Rotation

Using a collection of solar images taken by Yvonne Jacobs throughout April, Paul demonstrated how tracking sunspots at different latitudes on the solar disc can be used to determine how the Sun’s rotation rate varies with latitude.

Celestial Mechanics

As an example, Paul showed how he calculated the density of Jupiter using just two observations: the orbital period of one of its moons and the radius of that orbit expressed in ‘Jupiter diameters’. For Io, the observed period was 40 hours (compared to the actual value of 42.5 hours) and the radius was three ‘Jupiter diameters’ (within a few percent of the actual value). By applying Kepler’s Third Law (which can itself be derived from Newton’s Laws published 50 years later), Jupiter’s mass can be calculated. The mean density is then derived from mass divided by volume. Because Jupiter’s radius cubed appears in both the mass and volume terms, it cancels out, allowing a surprisingly accurate estimate of its density – within a few percent of the actual value of 1,326 kg/m³. This demonstrates that Jupiter is a gas giant, not a rocky planet like Earth (5,513 kg/m³), all from two simple observations and without prior knowledge of Jupiter’s mass or radius.

Radio Astronomy

Paul described a radio astronomy project he undertook at university, which he believes could be replicated by a group of amateurs: the construction of a simple radio interferometer using a pair of satellite TV dishes. He used this setup to detect powerful radio emissions from Cygnus A, an elliptical galaxy about 760 million light-years away. These emissions are generated by a supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s centre, which accelerates electrons to near light speed, producing radio waves. (Over drinks after the workshop, there was considerable interest in the signal plots from this project.)

(Images by Simon Hurst)

Paul concluded his talk by expressing the hope that it would encourage further discussion of science-based projects among those present and within the Society more broadly – whether picking up one of the ideas mentioned or developing something entirely new. He remains very open to suggestions.