Eyewire goes on a Great Galactic Voyage!
In April 2016, Eyewire HQ was visited by some very special space dinosaurs. In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope published the world’s first image of a black hole. And now, in about a month’s time, we’re coming up on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. We might be about neuroscience at HQ, but outer space is often on our minds, and it’s also in the news! So just in time for summer (or winter) stargazing, Eyewire is about to go on a trip of astronomical proportions, all the way from the outer bounds of our Solar System to the heart of the Milky Way itself!
Much like Carl Sagan’s Ship of the Imagination, we’ve got a nifty little interstellar probe ready that can travel suuuuper fast and survive even the strangest space weather. The probe launches June 21st, and we certainly hope to have you aboard! Join us for a week to turn from the science of microscopes to the science of telescopes.
*All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).*
Accuracy Happy Hours
First session runs from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Friday 6/21
Second session runs from 10:00 PM to midnight on Friday 6/21
We’re starting off with a fly-by of all the Solar System’s planets, and we only have so much fuel. Can you navigate accurately enough to complete every fly-by and still make it into interstellar space?
Swag: Most accurate player completing at least 20 cubes wins 1 pack of glow-in-the-dark stars and 1 NASA style iron-on Eyewire patch! Second and third place each also win patches. (And thanks to @susi for sponsoring this year’s swag again!)
Bonuses:
1st Place Accuracy – 10,000 points
2nd Place Accuracy – 8,000 points
3rd Place Accuracy – 6,000 points
Achieve 95% Accuracy – 5,000 points
Achieve 90% Accuracy – 3,000 points
Achieve 80% Accuracy – 2,000 points
1,000 points for anyone under 80% who still plays at least 20 cubes in either slot.
(These bonus thresholds are non-cumulative, i.e. they will not combine. If you earn 3rd place, for instance, and presumably got over 95% accuracy, you still earn a 6,000 point bonus, not 11,000.)
Nebula Hunt
Begins at 12:00 AM (midnight) on Saturday 6/22
Ends at 12:00 PM (noon) on Thursday 6/27
In the enormous haze of a nebula, stars are born. For several days, you’ll have the chance to try picking out 12 special merger stars.
Swag: The top scoring player will win 1 pack of glow-in-the-dark stars and 1 patch! Any player who finds at least 5 mergers will also win a patch. (Based on previous Hunts, 5+ mergers tends to mean an above-average score.)
Bonuses:
Each merger found – 1,000 points
7,500 additional points if all 12 are found
200 point bonus available on each merger to the player whose guess is closest
250 point bonus available to any player who guesses within 10 voxels of a merger
Trivia
Begins at 11:00 AM on Sunday 6/23
Continues until 11:00 AM on Tuesday 6/25
Finishes with Power Hour from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Tuesday 6/25
A chance to find out how much you really know about astronomy, astrophysics, neuroscience, and more! Hosted by our in-house astrophysicist Dr. Nurrostein.
Swag: The top scoring player will win 1 pack of glow-in-the-dark stars and 1 patch! Second and third place each also win patches.
Bonuses:
For every question —
1st to answer – 300 points
2nd to answer – 200 points
3rd to answer – 100 points
Betelgeuse vs. Sirius
Begins at 11:00 AM on Tuesday 6/25
Ends at 11:00 AM on Wednesday 6/26
Two standout lights in our night sky: a red supergiant, and a super-bright binary pair. Pick a star and learn about their life cycles!
Swag: The top scoring player on the winning team wins 1 pack of glow-in-the-dark stars and 1 patch! Also, among the top 50% of players on the winning team, 1 player will be raffled the same prizes, and 3 more players will be raffled patches.
Bonuses:
Earn 2,000 points – 1,000 bonus
Earn 10,000 points – 5,000 bonus
Earn 20,000 points – 10,000 bonus
Every additional 20,000 points – 10,000 bonus
Winning team – 10,000 bonus
Team winner – 5,000 bonus
#1 overall score – 10,000 bonus
#2 overall score – 5,000 bonus
#3 overall score – 2,500 bonus
Event Horizon Marathon
Begins at 8:00 AM on Wednesday 6/26
Ends at 8:00 AM on Thursday 6/27
Our journey concludes with a trip around the timespace-bending supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at the heart of our galaxy. It will last 24 hours… viewed from Earth, anyway.
Swag: The top player (defined by number of points earned during the marathon time period) will win 1 pack of glow-in-the-dark stars and 1 patch! Also, among the top 25% of players, 2 players will be raffled the same prizes, and 3 more players will be raffled patches.
Bonuses:
One live cell will be designated the “marathon cell,” with a 3x points multiplier!
Cube count bonuses: 3500 points per cube traced.
SC bonuses are doubled on all cells.
Every 3 SCs counts for 1 cube toward naming eligibility & per-cell completion bonus.
50 cubes = 5,000 points per completed cell, plus rights to vote on a new name for the marathon cell
200 cubes = 10,000 points per completed cell, plus rights to nominate a new name for the marathon cell
Great Galactic Voyage Closing Ceremony
Begins at 4:00 PM on Friday 6/28
Come celebrate the end of this competition, where admins will recognize everyone’s achievements. As always, we will include a round of promotions for Scouts, Scythes, Mystics, Moderators, and Mentors. If you’d like a promotion, you can request them here.
Artwork by Daniela Gamba