Matteo Paz's AI Finds 1.5 Million Cosmic Sources in NASA Archive
Updated
Updated · Futura · Jun 5
Matteo Paz's AI Finds 1.5 Million Cosmic Sources in NASA Archive
1 articles · Updated · Futura · Jun 5
Summary
A machine-learning pipeline built by Pasadena high school student Matteo Paz turned nearly 200 billion NEOWISE measurements into a public catalog of more than 1.5 million variable light sources.
In six weeks, Paz designed the system to spot faint infrared brightness changes that manual review and standard software had missed, flagging signatures of quasars, binary stars and supernovae.
Caltech researchers helped scale the method from a small study to the full-sky archive, and the catalog released in late 2025 is already guiding observations at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
NASA leadership has since publicly praised the work, which underscores how open data and AI tools are letting student researchers contribute to frontline astrophysics.
A teen's AI found 1.5 million cosmic objects. Was this a solo triumph or a product of massive institutional support?
His algorithm conquered astronomy data. Could the same code now predict the next major financial market crash?
What groundbreaking discoveries have astronomers already made using this revolutionary new map of the sky?
Discovering 15 Million New Space Objects: How Matteo Paz and AI VARnet Are Transforming Astronomy
Overview
Matteo Paz revolutionized astronomy by using his innovative AI algorithm, VARnet, to analyze an enormous 200-billion-row dataset. This allowed him to uncover many previously unknown cosmic objects and create the VarWISE catalog of variable objects. The scientific community quickly adopted his findings, with researchers at Caltech already using VarWISE to study complex binary star systems. Experts like Amy Mainzer expect Paz’s discoveries, including mysterious objects that defy explanation, to inspire new scientific research and advance our understanding of the universe. Paz’s work offers a fresh perspective and is driving major progress in astronomy.