Feb 12
In the spirit of SETI@home–the decade-old distributed computing project dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life–over 17,000 people are now working together to help map the shape of the Milky Way, according to RPI (the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY).
The new MilkyWay@Home project focuses on the distribution of stars and mysterious dark matter in our own galaxy. The project uses the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) platform, the same one that provides the foundation for SETI@home, to create a three-dimensional model of the Milky Way based on data gathered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
To this end, MilkyWay@Home participants have so far combined to deliver over one petaflop of computing power. That effectively places this distributed ‘supercomputer’ at number two in the world in sheer speed, according to the report. For more information on the project, head to the main MilkyWay@home site, or grab the BOINC 6.10.21 client to participate. (Image credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey)
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