Matteo Paz proudly displays his award for a groundbreaking achievement in space discovery. The high school student from Pasadena, California, utilized artificial intelligence to uncover 1.5 million new space objects, including black holes, using data from a NASA space telescope. His innovative approach has the potential to unravel some of the universe’s greatest mysteries.
Initially tasked with manual data sorting during a high school internship at the California Institute of Technology, Paz decided to create an AI algorithm to streamline the process. By automating the search, he identified a plethora of celestial objects, such as supernovae and supermassive black holes. This extraordinary feat earned him a prestigious $250,000 prize in the Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Paz’s catalog comprises variable objects that exhibit dynamic and unpredictable behaviors, offering valuable insights into cosmic phenomena. These discoveries may contribute to solving fundamental questions about the universe, such as the rate of expansion following the Big Bang, potentially reshaping our understanding of physics.
Through extensive analysis of data from NASA’s NEOWISE space telescope, spanning 200 terabytes of information collected over a decade, Paz’s algorithm unearthed previously unrecognized objects hidden in deep space. His mentor at Caltech, Davy Kirkpatrick, praised Paz’s groundbreaking work in utilizing the telescope’s data to identify and classify a wide range of variable objects, a task previously unattempted on such a comprehensive scale.
Following his success in the competition, Paz expressed astonishment at his achievement and the unexpected recognition. His dedication to the project, including late nights troubleshooting coding issues, reflects his commitment to pushing the boundaries of scientific exploration. As astronomers delve into his findings, Paz’s contributions are poised to shape future research endeavors in the field of space discovery.
At Caltech, Matteo Paz tackled problems on a whiteboard and sought advice from numerous astrophysicists and astronomers. Once his algorithm was completed, he was astounded by its capabilities. The algorithm led to the discovery of 1.5 million new objects. To process the 200 terabytes of data, Paz divided it into 13,000 segments for analysis. The algorithm scrutinized subtle changes in infrared radiation to detect variable celestial bodies and classify them, including black holes and double-star systems. Surprisingly, the algorithm uncovered more objects than expected in some constellations, leading Paz to realize the project’s potential.
In total, Paz examined over 450 million sky objects, pinpointing 1.9 million potential variable objects like black holes or supernovae, with 1.5 million being previously uncataloged discoveries. The visualization of these findings, displayed on a sky projection, revealed the intricacies of the universe, inspiring awe in Paz.
The infrared research group at Caltech is utilizing Paz’s catalog, VarWISE, to investigate dual-star systems in the remote universe, identifying numerous systems previously unnoticed. This research aids in determining the mass of distant exoplanets. Paz plans to publish the catalog in the Astrophysical Journal this year, following the peer-reviewed algorithm’s publication in the Astronomical Journal in November.
Praised for his exceptional talent and dedication, Paz views his upcoming college experience at Stanford University as the next step in his journey. Following a close encounter with the Eaton fire near his Pasadena home, he now contemplates the deployment of an infrared telescope in Earth’s orbit to monitor wildfires. His immediate goal is to employ the NEOWISE data to study the universe’s expansion rate from the Big Bang, aiming to contribute to solving cosmology’s significant enigma.
“Paz mentioned that the current research is poised to either uncover groundbreaking insights into the origins of the universe or reveal fundamental truths,” as stated in the original article on Business Insider.
