# # Program information file # PROGRAM_ID 2022A029 PROGRAM_TITLE New Cold Compact Source Discoveries in the Galactic Plane PROGRAM_INV1 Jackie Faherty PROGRAM_INV2 Austin Rothermich PROGRAM_INV3 Dan Caselden PROGRAM_INV4 Les Hamlet PROGRAM_INV5 Aaron Meisner PROGRAM_SCICAT stellar PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_BEG Often called the 'zone of avoidance', the area of the sky within a handful of degrees of the densest stretch of the Milky Way is notoriously difficult to search through with automated algorithms. While there may very well be a goldmine of sources in the plane, astronomers avoid it due to source confusion and large reddening issues. Using a citizen science project, we have utilized ~30 volunteers to examine the Galactic plane in search of previously missed cold brown dwarfs. We have a target list of 118 sources not cataloged and likely cold and compact. We have prioritized the 40 coldest as well as the most unusual for follow-up with this IRTF proposal and we ask for 4 nights to characterize the sample. PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_END