Did you know that you could put your laptop or computer to good use when you are not using it and could possibly make history in the process?
Three “citizen scientists” from the US and Germany, who allowed their computers to run a screensaver that analyzes data, have now been credited with discovering a rare star known as a “disrupted binary pulsar”.
Chris and Helen Colvin, both information technology professionals from Iowa, US, and systems analyst Daniel Gebhardt from Mainz in Germany were all part of the Einstein@Home project.
“Their computers, along with 500,000 others from around the world, are being used to analyse data for Einstein@Home” reported the BBC.
How it works is that instead of leaving your computer idle when you aren’t actively using it, you download a screensaver that will allow your computer or laptop to process information for Einstein@Home.
“According to Albert Einstein” says the project’s website, “we live in a universe full of gravitational waves. He suggested that the movements of heavy objects, such as black holes and dense stars, create waves that change space and time. We have a chance to detect these waves, but we need your help to do it!”
If you want to participate in the project you simply download the software to your computer and your laptop or computer can then use your computer’s free time to search through scientific data.
The software will apparently not affect the performance of your computer but it will speed up the research and if you’re computer or laptop happens to make an amazing discovery in the process you’ll make history too.
The BBC reports that “The newly discovered radio pulsar, given the designation PSR J2007+2722, is a fast-spinning neutron star which can be formed in certain types of supernovae, or stellar explosions.”
Jim Cordes, professor of astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, US, told the BBC “No matter what else we find out about it, this pulsar is bound to be extremely interesting for understanding the basic physics of neutron stars and how they form.”
This is the first major discovery by the Einstein@Home project.
It works in a similar way to the Seti@home project which uses internet connected computers or “distributed computing” to search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. You can participate in that program again by downloading the software that allows your computer or laptop to analyze radio telescope data when it would otherwise be idle.
Unfortunately, we haven’t come across ET yet though!
