ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Space

AI makes first discovery of a supernova all on its own

We're witnessing the birth of a new era in astronomy, where humans may take the back seat for the first time.

Jordan StricklerbyJordan Strickler
October 20, 2023
in News, Space
A A
Edited and reviewed by Tibi Puiu
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit
This image shows the galaxy before the SN2023tyk supernova (left) and after it occurred (right). (Credit: Northwestern University)

Artificial intelligence just keeps moving forward, now entering the supernovae realm. The AI-powered tool Bright Transient Survey Bot (BTSbot), which can autonomously detect, identify, and classify supernovae, has found its first supernova — SN2023tyk.

Adam Miller, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University says BTSbot has the potential to completely replace humans in the current supernova detection system, which relies on a combination of human and computer analysis.

“For the first time ever, a series of robots and AI algorithms has observed, then identified, then communicated with another telescope to finally confirm the discovery of a supernova,” he said. “This represents an important step forward as further refinement of models will allow the robots to isolate specific subtypes of stellar explosions.”

“Ultimately, removing humans from the loop provides more time for the research team to analyze their observations and develop new hypotheses to explain the origin of the cosmic explosions that we observe.”

Astronomers have spent roughly 2,200 hours over the past six years visually inspecting and classifying supernova candidates, according to the BTSbot team. With the new AI’s help, astronomers say they can devote more time to determining the causes of stellar explosions and simulating their subsequent evolution.

Supernovae occur when aging stars deplete their nuclear fusion fuel. Incapable of resisting the gravitational force pushing inward, the cores of these stars collapse, while their outer layers erupt as spectacular supernovae.

In the case of Type 1a supernovae, such as SN2023tyk, explosions are triggered when a white dwarf resides within a binary system and gradually siphons matter from its companion star. This influx of material reignites the white dwarf, culminating in a cataclysmic explosion that obliterates it.

RelatedPosts

The first ever supernova-in-progress seen shows we don’t quite yet understand them
Exploding supernova ejects enough material to seed 7,000 Earths
Astronomers say exploding stars might have forced our ancestors to walk upright
Gravitational waves have scientists searching for answers

These supernova detonations can be so intensely luminous that they outshine the collective radiance of all the stars in the galaxy surrounding them. Nevertheless, owing to the vast expanse of space, even this astounding surge of brilliance doesn’t guarantee the easy detection of supernovae. Presently, automated telescopes scan the night sky, repeatedly capturing images of the same section of space, with the hope of identifying any altered or transient objects not present in previous images.

BTSbot was trained with an extensive dataset of historical images, allowing it to recognize various cosmic phenomena. It successfully identified SN2023tyk two days after its detection by the Zwicky Transient Facility on October 3. The candidate is believed to lie 760 million light-years from Earth. On October 7, just two days after the SN2023tyk find, BTSbot told the astronomical community about the discovery.

“This significantly streamlines large studies of supernovae, helping us better understand the life cycles of stars and the origin of elements supernovae create, like carbon, iron and gold,” said Nabeel Rehemtulla, Northwestern assistant professor of physics and astronomy who co-led the development.

Humans and robotic systems currently collaborate to detect and analyze supernovae. First, robotic telescopes scan the same regions of the night sky repeatedly to find new sources that had not been seen in earlier images. Then humans take over when these telescopes pick up something new.

“Automated software presents a list of candidate explosions to humans, who spend time verifying the candidates and executing spectroscopic observations,” Miller said. “We can only definitively know that a candidate is truly a supernova by collecting its spectrum — the source’s dispersed light, which reveals elements present in the explosion. There are existing robotic telescopes that can collect spectra, but this is also often done by humans operating telescopes with spectrographs.”

Rehemtulla used more than 1.4 million past images from nearly 16,000 sources—including verified supernovae, momentarily flaring stars, periodically variable stars, and flaring galaxies to train a machine-learning algorithm to create the AI tool.

“The beauty of it is that, once everything is turned on and working properly, we don’t actually do anything,” Rehemtulla said. “We go to sleep at night, and, in the morning, we see that BTSbot, and these other AIs unwaveringly do their jobs.”

Tags: BTSbotnorthwesternSN2023tyksupernova

ShareTweetShare
Jordan Strickler

Jordan Strickler

A space nerd and self-described grammar freak (all his Twitter posts are complete sentences), he loves learning about the unknown and figures that if he isn’t smart enough to send satellites to space, he can at least write about it. Twitter: @JordanS1981

Related Posts

SNR 0509-67.5
News

Astronomers Found a Star That Exploded Twice Before Dying

byJordan Strickler
23 hours ago
News

Astronomers Just Found the Most Powerful Cosmic Event Since the Big Bang. It’s At Least 25 Times Stronger Than Any Supernova

byTibi Puiu
4 weeks ago
News

Astronomers Found a Perfect Space Bubble Dozens of Light-Years Across and No One Knows How It Got There

byTibi Puiu
2 months ago
News

Early cosmic explosions may have filled the young universe with water

byJordan Strickler
5 months ago

Recent news

Your gut has a secret weapon against ‘forever chemicals’: microbes

July 3, 2025

High IQ People Are Strikingly Better at Forecasting the Future

July 3, 2025

Newborns Feel Pain Long Before They Can Understand It

July 3, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.