NASA · Space

Citizen Scientists Can Help Refine Space Telescope Data

NASA's new project, Artifact InSPECtor, invites the public to help train artificial intelligence (AI) to remove errors from space telescope data, improving our understanding of the universe.

Volunteers will examine data from the Euclid space telescope and, starting in early 2027, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. These telescopes collect light from millions of distant galaxies, which is split into spectra to determine distance, star types, and black hole information.

The data contains "artifacts" – unwanted signals from sources like cosmic rays or glinting light, similar to smudges on a camera lens. These artifacts can hinder accurate scientific analysis.

While AI tools are being developed to identify these artifacts, they sometimes struggle to distinguish them accurately. Citizen scientists will help by learning to recognize artifacts in the telescope data.

The work done by volunteers will be used to improve the AI's instructions, enabling it to better identify and remove these errors. This collaboration aims to enhance the scientific output of these powerful observatories.

Participants of all ages can contribute using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The project aims to help answer fundamental questions about the universe, including the expansion of the universe and dark energy.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.