In a jaw-dropping feat, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has left astronomers in the dust by uncovering an exoplanet five times the size of Jupiter, previously undetected by human observation. This gargantuan planet orbits 75 astronomical units (AU) from its star, which had evaded astronomers’ attempts to identify any planets around it until now.
Machine Learning Unlocks New Discoveries in Space
With over 5,000 known exoplanets, the hunt for celestial bodies beyond our solar system is intensifying. As technology and techniques improve, astronomers are uncovering harder-to-detect planets. Two recent papers published in The Astrophysical Journalreveal how researchers have employed machine learning to identify the faint signs of forming planets within the dense dust disks that envelop young stars. This AI tool can significantly enhance the speed and efficiency of discovering young planets, particularly as new telescopes deliver a deluge of data on Milky Way exoplanets.