A California teenager identified over 1.5 million previously cataloged space objects using archived NASA data, an achievement that has garnered attention from the science community.
A high school student from California, Matteo Paz, made a remarkable discovery by identifying over 1.5 million previously uncataloged space objects. This achievement, which would typically be within the domain of large research teams, emerged from his analysis of archived data from NASA. The findings have been published in the specialized journal, The Astronomical Journal.
Matteo participated in the Planet Finder Academy, a program that provides young students with real astronomical challenges. Under the mentorship of Davy Kirkpatrick, a scientist from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), he worked with vast amounts of data collected by the NEOWISE space telescope. Launched in 2009, NEOWISE was tasked with detecting near-Earth asteroids and collected infrared observations of the entire sky over a decade, producing nearly 200 billion rows of measurements.
The implications of this discovery are significant for the scientific community, as it not only showcases the potential of young minds in contributing to celestial studies but also highlights the importance of archived data. The revelation of such a vast number of space objects invites further exploration and analysis, potentially leading to new understandings of our universe and the phenomena that exist within it.
