COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Citizen Science Assists a Novel Measurement of Mass-Loss Rates and Extends the Galactic Census of Runaway Massive Stars

质量比太阳大得多的恒星是驱动银河系演化的引擎，将星际气体和尘埃与它们的风、辐射混合在一起，最终在超新星爆炸中剧烈死亡。 这些大质量恒星失去物质的速率是决定这些恒星在生命末期如何演化的重要参数。 然而，这些恒星的质量损失率的测量存在很大的不确定性，理论和观测结果之间存在重大差异。 该项目的目标是通过一个独特的项目来测量大质量恒星的质量损失，该项目涉及名为Zooniverse的“公民科学”。 该项目将利用Zooniverse公民科学计划，使数千名非科学家能够梳理最近完成的斯皮策和WISE太空望远镜调查，以寻找弓形激波星云。 这些弓形激波星云是从恒星诞生地喷射出来的逃逸大质量恒星的标志。 预计公民科学家将通过弓激波结构识别大约300颗大质量恒星。 这些鉴定工作之后，将由2.3米长的怀俄明州红外观测站进行光谱测量，以得出质量损失率，这将产生一个在统计上令人信服的物体样本，用于与理论模型进行比较，这两个项目研究所都大量参与研究生和本科生的教育和培训，拟议的工作将进一步加强学生对天文学研究的接触。 WIRO望远镜的观测将通过实际观测天文学和数据分析促进城市，主要是西班牙裔本科院校Cal Poly Pomona和怀俄明州农村大学之间的互利交流。 Cal Poly Pomona在此次合作中的提案是一个本科院校研究（RUI）项目，该项目将提供大量机会来培养新的科学家，重点是从代表性不足的群体中招募学生进入STEM领域。 该项目还将在WIRO启动教师研究经验（RET）计划，将中学科学教师与怀俄明州大学教师和本科生夏季研究经验（REU）计划学生配对。

Stars with masses much greater than that of our Sun are the engines that drive the evolution of our galaxy, mixing the interstellar gas and dust with their winds, radiation, and eventually their violent deaths in supernova explosions. The rate at which these massive stars lose matter is an important quantity in determining how these stars evolve near the ends of their lives. There are, however, large uncertainties in the measurements of mass-loss rate for these stars with major discrepancies between theoretical and observational results. The goal of this project is to measure mass loss from massive stars through a unique program that involves "citizen science" called Zooniverse. This project will use the Zooniverse citizen science program to enable thousands of non-scientists to comb through recently completed Spitzer and WISE space telescope surveys in search of bow shock nebulae. These bow shock nebulae are indicative of runaway massive stars ejected from their stellar birthplaces. It is expected that the citizen scientists will identify approximately 300 massive stars through their bow shock structure. These identifications will be followed up by spectroscopic measurements with the 2.3m Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO) in order to derive mass-loss rates, which will result in a statistically compelling sample of objects for comparison with theoretical models.Both PIs are heavily involved in the education and training of graduate and undergraduate students, and the proposed work will further strengthen the students' exposure to astronomical research. The observations with WIRO telescope will foster mutually beneficial exchanges between the urban, predominantly Hispanic undergraduate institution Cal Poly Pomona and the rural University of Wyoming through hands-on observational astronomy and data analysis. The Cal Poly Pomona proposal in this collaboration is a Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) project, which will offer numerous opportunities to train new scientists with a strong emphasis on recruiting students from underrepresented groups into STEM fields. This project will also initiate a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program at WIRO that will pair secondary science teachers with University of Wyoming faculty and summer Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program students.