Astronomers Launch Black Hole Finder App for Citizens Worldwide

August 23, 2024

Astronomers have created the Black Hole Finder app, a tool designed by the Dutch Black Hole Consortium. The main goal of this app is to help everyday people—like you—find newly-formed black holes. Now available in eight different languages, the app has been made accessible to people all around the world. By using this app, you can actively participate in discovering black holes, and contributing to important scientific research.

Kilonova Background

A kilonova is a special kind of event in space that happens when two neutron stars, which are incredibly dense remnants of stars, crash into each other. This collision can create a black hole. The first kilonova was detected on August 18, 2017, and it was a big moment for astronomers. When the neutron stars merged, they created a short but intense flash of light, eventually forming a black hole.

Role of Artificial Intelligence

The app uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help sort through all the potential signals that might indicate a kilonova or a black hole. AI is great at quickly processing large amounts of data but can sometimes miss subtle patterns that a human might catch. That’s where users like you come in. By using the app and identifying these patterns, you help improve the AI’s ability to recognize important astronomical events.

Citizen Contributions

If you successfully identify a real astronomical event using the app, it can trigger follow-up observations by a network of robotic telescopes managed by the Las Cumbres Observatory. This means that your discovery could lead to more detailed studies of that event, making your contribution incredibly valuable to the scientific community. Your participation speeds up the process of finding and studying these fascinating occurrences in space. The Black Hole Finder app is more than just a tool—it’s a way for people everywhere to join the scientific quest to explore black holes and unravel the mysteries of the universe. By working together, scientists and citizens can make groundbreaking discoveries that deepen our understanding of the cosmos.

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