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NASA Science announced Overlap Zoo on Sept. 30, 2026, inviting volunteers to classify images of galaxies that appear to overlap from Earth’s viewpoint. The project aims to create a large-scale catalog researchers can use to study galactic dust and how it affects starlight.
NASA Science announced Overlap Zoo on Sept. 30, 2026, a citizen-science project that asks members of the public to identify galaxies that appear to overlap in telescope images. The classifications are intended to help researchers assemble a large-scale catalog of galaxy pairs and study how dust in nearer galaxies blocks or dims light from galaxies behind them.
In the project, volunteers will examine images that participants in Galaxy Zoo have already flagged as possible overlapping galaxy pairs. Overlap Zoo will guide them in checking whether a pair is present, classifying features of each galaxy and marking the galaxies’ outlines. NASA says participants can classify as many images as they choose, and no prior astronomy experience is needed.
The project focuses on a particular line-of-sight coincidence: two galaxies appear to overlap from the perspective of Earth or a space telescope, even though they are separate objects. In such an image, light from the more distant galaxy passes through the nearer one. Dust in the foreground galaxy can show up as dark silhouettes against the background light, giving astronomers a way to examine where dust lies and how it affects starlight.
NASA says those observations could help researchers map dust within galaxies and improve measurements of the effects of dust on light. The agency also says such measurements can contribute to refining estimates of distances to faraway objects. The announcement describes the project’s research aims; it does not report results from completed classifications or present a new measurement of cosmic dust.
How Galaxy Shadows Aid Dust Studies
Cosmic dust can block, scatter and dim starlight, changing how distant objects appear to observers. Comparing a background galaxy’s light with the portions obscured by a foreground galaxy gives researchers a way to study dust that might otherwise be difficult to distinguish in an image. The project turns a rare alignment into a potential research tool.
Finding suitable pairs across many images is a substantial classification task. Overlap Zoo is designed to recruit volunteers to help identify candidates and record their features, so astronomers can focus later analysis on a more organized set of images. If the catalog is useful for research, it could support more systematic studies of dust distribution and its effects on measurements of distant objects.
The practical value for participants is direct but limited: they can contribute classifications without specialized training, while the scientific conclusions will depend on subsequent analysis. The announcement does not say how many images have been prepared, how many volunteers are expected or when the catalog will be ready.
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From Galaxy Zoo to Overlap Zoo
Overlap Zoo builds on work already done by volunteers in Galaxy Zoo. According to NASA’s announcement, Galaxy Zoo participants identified images that may contain overlapping galaxies; the new project asks volunteers to check and describe those candidates. The projects therefore have different stages in the image workflow: initial candidate identification, followed by verification and classification.
Apparent overlaps are valuable because the background galaxy acts as a natural source of light shining through the foreground galaxy. Dust in the nearer object can leave visible patterns against that light. NASA presents this approach as a way to study the distribution and effects of dust, rather than as a claim that every apparent pair will provide usable measurements.
The NASA Science Editorial Team’s report, published Sept. 30, 2026, identifies Trevor Butrum, the Overlap Zoo project lead and a graduate student, as a spokesperson for the project. NASA describes participation as available to anyone with an internet-connected computer and says volunteers can work through images at their own pace.
Catalog Size and Research Timeline
NASA’s announcement does not specify the number of images currently available, a target number of classifications or a timetable for publishing a catalog. It also does not provide details about how volunteer classifications will be combined, checked against one another or followed by expert analysis.
The possible contribution to distance estimates is described as a research benefit, not a result already demonstrated by Overlap Zoo. It remains unclear how many candidate galaxy pairs will prove suitable for dust studies and what measurements researchers will make from the completed catalog. No findings from volunteer work are included in the announcement.
Volunteer Classifications and Follow-Up
People interested in taking part can visit Overlap Zoo through NASA’s project page and begin reviewing the candidate images. The project’s instructions are intended to explain how to verify a possible pair, classify its features and mark its outlines; participants may contribute to as many images as they wish.
The next research step will be for the project to gather and assess volunteer classifications and make the resulting catalog available for further analysis. NASA’s announcement does not give a release date for that catalog or schedule for research papers, so the timing and eventual findings remain open.
Key Questions
What is Overlap Zoo?
Overlap Zoo is a NASA citizen-science project where volunteers check images of possible overlapping galaxies and record features that could help researchers study dust.
What does an overlapping galaxy pair mean?
It means two separate galaxies appear to overlap in the sky from Earth’s or a telescope’s viewpoint. Light from the more distant galaxy can pass through the nearer galaxy on its way to the observer.
How can galaxy overlaps reveal cosmic dust?
Dust in a foreground galaxy can block or dim light from a galaxy behind it, appearing as dark patterns in the image. Researchers can study those silhouettes to investigate the dust’s distribution and effects on light.
Do volunteers need astronomy experience?
No. NASA says the project provides guidance for identifying and classifying galaxy pairs and is open to people without prior experience who have an internet-connected computer.
Has Overlap Zoo already produced scientific results?
The Sept. 30, 2026, announcement describes the project and its goals, but reports no completed catalog or research findings from volunteer classifications.
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