In this project, citizen scientists participated in classifying galaxies captured by the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. Over 10,000 volunteers sifted through the data, while an AI learned from their classifications. The AI was then able to analyze a much larger dataset, leading to the discovery of a whopping 430,000 new galaxies!
This is a major astronomical achievement, and it highlights the power of citizen science. By lending their time and skills, everyday people can contribute to scientific discovery. And in this case, AI was instrumental in automating the analysis of a vast amount of data, allowing scientists to focus on more complex tasks.
Here are some interesting details about the discovery:
- The new galaxies include 400,000 spiral galaxies, the most common type of galaxy.
- The project also identified 30,000 ring galaxies, which are among the rarest types. This is the largest sample of ring galaxies ever discovered, providing scientists with a new opportunity to study these fascinating objects.
Overall, this collaboration between citizen scientists and AI has significantly expanded our understanding of the universe. It's a testament to the potential of combining human expertise with machine learning to unlock new scientific frontiers.