NASA Selects 19 New Citizen Science Proposals in 2026, Building on Volunteer Successes

NASA has selected 19 new citizen science proposals for 2026, continuing its commitment to collaborative, transparent science. The announcement comes as volunteer-powered projects achieve major milestones, including the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, where volunteers have now discovered most of the known brown dwarfs—objects that blur the line between planets and stars. These discoveries highlight the growing impact of public participation in NASA research. The new proposals span a range of topics, from analyzing telescope data to monitoring environmental changes on Earth. By engaging thousands of volunteers, NASA aims to accelerate scientific discovery while making space exploration more accessible. The Zooniverse platform, a key partner in many of these efforts, enables anyone with an internet connection to contribute to real research. This expansion reflects NASA's strategy to harness the power of crowdsourcing for complex data analysis tasks that would otherwise overwhelm professional scientists. As these projects launch, they promise to deepen our understanding of the universe and inspire the next generation of explorers. Citizen science is proving to be a vital tool in NASA's mission.