Context:
Recently, a team of researchers at the Center for Data Driven Discovery, California Institute of Technology has developed ZARTH app that allows anyone with a smartphone to ‘hunt’ for transients.
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- ZARTH App: Augmented Reality Transient Hunter
- Transient Phenomenon
ZARTH App: Augmented Reality Transient Hunter
- The ZARTH app is an augmented reality mobile game designed for serious science engagement.
Features:
- Uses the open-source Sky Map and daily data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) telescope at Palomar Observatory.
- ZTF scans the northern sky every two days, providing valuable data for tracking near-earth asteroids and studying supernovae.
- Daily updates of real-time transients detected by ZTF, including flaring stars, white dwarf binaries, and more.
- Transients ranked by rarity and importance, allowing players to compete, score points, and earn credits on leaderboards.
Transient Phenomenon:
- Transients are astronomical events lasting from fractions of a second to weeks or years.
- These events are typically short-lived and associated with the destruction of astrophysical objects.
-Source: The Hindu
