Cosmic rays and the structure of the universe studied in Cosmic Ray Extremely Distributed Observatory with citizen science

Abstract

The CREDO project aims to observe sets of simultaneous global air showers, i.e. covering the entire hemisphere of the Earth. To do this, it is necessary to deploy detectors of various sizes as densely as possible across the globe. These observations are intended to help answer some basic questions of astrophysics, such as the occurrence and nature of dark matter, the sources of high-energy particles, and the structure of space-time. The method of work of the CREDO project is citizen science, i.e. participation in the project activities not only of scientists but also students, adults, organized groups of enthusiasts and individuals interested in the topic. This community also includes people with disabilities, e.g. visually impaired or blind. The synergy of these two tasks of CREDO - science and education of the society, results in an increasing and wider territorial participation of outsiders in the activities of the project and a very rapid scientific development of the project. The following text (provisional version) presents two aspects of the CREDO project - scientific and educational, and the state of art of the project for June 2021.