As we celebrate 1 billion classifications on Zooniverse, we continue the “love letters” series – messages to our team from Zooniverse volunteers. The letters come from different continents, age groups and lifestyles, but they all invite us to stay curious as we do science together. Today’s letter is from Daria, who participated in 67 projects, contributed almost 60,000 classifications and discovered 6 galaxies at age 16.


“Hi everyone! My name is Daria, i’m 16 and I’m from Moscow. I got acquainted with the platform in 2023, and a well-known blogger told me about it. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a part of the scientific world, and I’ve loved space since I was a child. The opportunity to participate in the discoveries seemed incredible to me.

My first project was Backyard Worlds Planet 9. Then I became interested in other projects; Planet 9 was too complex for me. I really liked Daily Minor Planet, Galaxy Zoo, Jovian Vortex Hunter, etc.

Later, I discovered Planet Hunters Tess. It became my favorite for a long time.

The hardest part was continuing to classify despite the lack of results. Now I realize I had quite a few classifications (only 22,000), but back then, it seemed completely impossible to discover anything.

Then came DELVE Dwarf Galaxy Quest: Milky Way Neighbors. It became my absolute favorite. Despite studying, exams, and an upcoming move, I classified 27,000 objects. I was so hoping to find something! Even my little sister completed 600 classifications under my supervision, and she was only 7.

Sasha, 7, is Daria’s little sister. She completed 600 classification under Daria’s supervision!


When the project was finished, the preliminary results came in. I’d identified 6 out of 8 potential candidates! I hope they’ll soon be published in a scientific paper.

My whole family is very proud of me. They didn’t believe me, thinking it was all a deception, and my physics teacher told me to stop messing around and learn the formulas.

But here’s what I want to say: As trite as it may sound, never give up. I’m already a participant in 67 projects and have almost 60,000 classifications. I translated three projects into my native Russian, one of which was specifically for my sister, who doesn’t speak English and found it difficult to work in a foreign language.

Perhaps I haven’t accomplished much. I’ve seen people on Zooniverse who’ve made more classifications in a week than I have in a year. But citizen science isn’t about competition. We all share a common goal—to help humanity better understand the world we live in.

And I had another goal—to leave a mark on history. And I did. I became one of the discoverers of six galaxies at 16.

In my country, few people are interested in citizen science. We talk more about technology, and I don’t like that. For me, space is more than just blueprints and rockets. That’s why I’m here. I’m afraid I’ll never become a real astronomer—I don’t like this physics stuff. I’m planning to study philosophy; it suits me better. But space will always be a part of me. And thank you, Zooniverse, for strengthening our bond.

Thank you everyone! To the project organizers and the millions of volunteers.

Love,
Superfasol”

Ready to share your own Zooniverse story? If you’d like to get in touch, we’re always happy to hear from you at contact@zooniverse.org

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