The universe has become a much more populated place. Just this week, astronomers have confirmed 118 more planets outside the solar system, discovered from a new “computer program that uses complex machine learning techniques” developed from the data gathered by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This new finding adds greatly to the currently ever-growing search for more planets beyond our solar system, and perhaps one day, more signs of extraterrestrial life.
The excitement is even more tangible for astronomers and those who love to look up. Think of the hours upon hours of staring at dimmer and dimmer signals coming through your telescopeand waiting to find other planetswhat a dream. That’s how the scores of scientists have been thinking about TESS since it launched.
It has been diligently observing other worldsmeasuring differences in star light as they occur. And though the amount of data could be unmanageable, not anymore. Using advanced machine learning techniques, scientists could analyze mountains of data a million times faster than normal. With the help of artificial intelligence, researchers could identify the characteristic signals of planet transits but ignore the background noise caused by other celestial activity. The end result?
The universe suddenly became a lot more populated. In a piece of research published earlier this week, teams of astronomers have confirmed 118 new exoplanetsplanets orbiting starsusing sophisticated machine learning tools to analyze data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). While this new finding greatly broadens our knowledge of planets beyond our solar system, what this means for us, the answer we all wait to hearare we alone? To those looking for signs of new worlds But it’s eerily familiar. Think of all the hours you’ve logged peering through telescopes at clusters of stars, hoping to notice minuscule drops in the luminescence. That’s what its been doing all along.
And for all this time, teams of researchers have been hard at work at identifying the signals. Since it was launched, the satellite has been scanning many far-flung corners of the sky, using telescopes to record tiny thuds in star brightness as off-world bodies pass by. An impossible amount of data never gave way to being deciphered until now, when Dr Maria Gonzalez, one of the astrophysicists working with its research at an extensive European observatory, said she is “…delighted at the news. Past counts of stars are just some figures on a computer. This significant new find means more insight into the way solar systems are formed, and whether they could support life.
The more probable the detection of more exoplanets is, the more the discovery of extraterrestrial life seems to be closer in time and real in fact. These 118 additions make our knowledge of exoplanet number of over 5000, broader our cosmopolitan horizon. A reminder of why I am so interested in space.
With all the problems we face in everyday life, looking up at the stars reminds us that there is something bigger out there. It reminds us to dream, to hope and to work together on a truly global project.
The discovery and confirmation of these 118 new worlds in the known universe is exciting to more than just those with scientific background. This moment is a profoundly human moment of awe and advancement. With every new leap in technological heights and every new peak of curiosity, we come closer to knowing our role in the wider universe. The night sky has never looked more amazing.
