Scientists enlist armchair astronomers to find thousands of black holes hiding in our galaxy
Cosmic detectives are being called on for an interstellar mission to hunt down thousands of invisible black holes lurking in our own back yard.
Space scientists from the University of Southampton need amateur astronomers to search for signs that might locate them.
They know the location of about 70 black holes but reckon there could be thousands more hiding in our galaxy yet to be discovered.
Experts behind the Black Holes Hunters project used a clever AI system to pre-screen millions of possible locations in our Milky Way and pinpoint where they may be hidden.
The system used advanced techniques to examine vast amounts of data, searching in days what used to take years.
The case is now being handed over to citizen scientists to finish the job.
Dr Adam McMaster from Southampton’s School of Physics and Astronomy says:
“Black holes are famously elusive and trap light, which hide them from telescopes.
“But they often leave clues because of their strong gravity, which can bend light as they orbit around stars creating an effect called gravitational self-lensing.
“Once we detect this, we’ll know an invisible black hole exists.”
The space data being used in the Black Hole Hunters project is taken from NASA’s planet-hunting telescope TESS, or the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
It has already struck a chord with amateur astronomers.
The Southampton scientists filtered down huge quantities of data from the NASA telescope and turned them into simple graphs and animations, ready to be searched through by the volunteers.
Dr McMaster added: “We now need people to look at these graphs and flag anything that catches their eye.
“It’s a simple task with no expertise required, and we will show volunteers examples of what to look for so all they have to do is recognise the right patterns.
“With potentially thousands of new discoveries, we need all the help we can get.
“You’ll be narrowing down precisely where we need to point our telescopes next and you might be the one to discover a black hole.”
Dr McMaster pictured below
Yomna, a 13-year-old volunteer from Afghanistan, said: “I don’t have many opportunities to be involved in scientific research, so this project means a lot to me. Every time I classify a light curve, I feel like I’m taking part in a real discovery.”
Science teacher Mahesh Kumar Koli from India added: “Science becomes meaningful when ordinary people can actively participate in real scientific research.”
Have you got what it takes to find a black hole from your bedroom? No posh telescope needed – just a phone, tablet or laptop and a bit of curiosity.
Join the cosmic hunt at:
