Gems of the Galaxy Zoos -- a Wide-Ranging Hubble Space Telescope Gap-Filler Program

TL;DR

The Gems of the Galaxy Zoos project utilizes Hubble Space Telescope snapshot observations to explore diverse galaxy features and phenomena, leveraging citizen science data for broad scientific insights into galaxy morphology and evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a novel gap-filler program combining citizen science-selected targets with HST ACS imaging to study a wide range of galaxy properties and phenomena.

Findings

Discovery of tightly-wound spiral structures in early-type galaxies

Identification of a nearly complete Einstein ring from a lens group

Observation of redder components around Green Pea starbursts

Abstract

We describe the Gems of the Galaxy Zoos (Zoo Gems) project, a gap-filler project using short windows in the Hubble Space Telescope's schedule. As with previous snapshot programs, targets are taken from a pool based on position; we combine objects selected by volunteers in both the Galaxy Zoo and Radio Galaxy Zoo citizen-science projects. Zoo Gems uses exposures with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) to address a broad range of topics in galaxy morphology, interstellar-medium content, host galaxies of active galactic nuclei, and galaxy evolution. Science cases include studying galaxy interactions, backlit dust in galaxies, post-starburst systems, rings and peculiar spiral patterns, outliers from the usual color-morphology relation, Green Pea compact starburst systems, double radio sources with spiral host galaxies, and extended emission-line regions around active galactic nuclei. For many of these science categories, final selection of targets from a larger list used public input via a voting process. Highlights to date include the prevalence of tightly-wound spiral structure in blue, apparently early-type galaxies, a nearly complete Einstein ring from a group lens, redder components at lower surface brightness surrounding compact Green Pea starbursts, and high-probability examples of spiral galaxies hosting large double radio sources.