In the earlier days, it was easier for astronomers to just collect the data of the universe and study it. However, with time it has become nearly impossible for them to do this task manually, as the universe keeps changing and expanding. Hence, turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning to collect and study important data to uncover the next big mystery of the universe is the only option astronomers are left with.
Listed below are the four significant and mind-altering ways in which Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have been aiding astronomers in studying the universe:
1. Searching for Planets:
One of the most astounding ways AI and Machine Learning have been helping astronomers in their cause is by hunting for those planets which orbit outside of the solar system with the help of time series analysis. This is a technique in which an astronomer records a series of data set in a fixed period.
This specific planet, known as an exoplanet, orbits around the stars and when it passes in front of any star, it makes the light of that star a little dimmer than before, due to which it becomes easier for the astronomers to detect the exoplanet and also its features such as its size, mass, and width.
2. Detecting Gravitational Waves:
Gravitational waves cause a wrinkly effect in the form of waves in space-time whenever a dreadful incident occurs in space, such as the collision of planets. Gravitational waves can also be felt to a low extent on earth, which allows experts to detect them with the help of a time series model to notify the astronomers about them.
3. Observing the Varying Sky:
Observing the night sky every night is another method the astronomers are using to look for a universal phenomenon. They take the help of the Vera Rubin Observatory, an observatory of Chile, which captures at least 80 terabytes of images of the night sky in one shift, to observe any variation in the stars, planets, and galaxies. After capturing these terabytes, which later turns into petabytes as the data increases over time, the astronomers use Machine Learning to decode this data and pinpoint the important information from it.
4. Finding Gravitational Lenses:
Gravitational lenses help astronomers in collecting and studying important data about the nearest stars and galaxies. Whenever more than one field of galaxies come to a position in which they are face to face with each other, the field of galaxies which is upfront distorts and bends the light of the one behind it and creates a magnifying effect for the astronomers trying to observe the galaxies and stars near them. It is not easy to find gravitational lenses manually, due to which the astronomers take help from the Machine Learning methods and techniques such as looking for lenses through the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and the Vera Rubin Observatory.
