Astronomy is the study of everything we see with the naked eye or discover from the telescope, satellites and other instruments in the universe. The instruments used to study the universe collect data in many forms. Scientists use this data to monitor the Earth’s resources and ecosystem and to predict various events. That is where the use of data science in astronomy comes in. In this article, I will introduce you to some of the use cases of data science in astronomy.
Use Cases of Data Science in Astronomy
Below are some of the use cases of Data Science in Astronomy that you should know.
Analyzing Wavelengths of Light
Scientists use a spectrograph to analyze the light coming from any object in the universe. Spectrograph breaks the light into its component colours (allows scientists to analyze wavelengths of light). Scientists have data about the wavelengths. They know which particle is present in the wavelength if a certain amount of light is blocked. It helps scientists discover life on other planets by studying atmospheric combinations of planets and other objects in the universe.
A similar example can be seen in a recent event when Scientists discovered water in the wavelengths of light coming from an exoplanet known as WASP-96 b. You can read more about it here.
Data-Driven Space Exploration and Decisions
Let’s take the example of how NASA uses data science for data-driven space exploration and decisions.
NASA receives a massive amount of data from satellites and other instruments in the universe daily. To explore the universe using data collected by NASA, the Data Science professionals of NASA help in everything from predicting weather on Earth to monitoring every object in the universe. It helps in better decision-making about the Earth and everything in the universe.
Summary
So these were some of the use cases of Data Science in Astronomy. Astronomy is the study of everything we see with the naked eye or discover from the telescope, satellites and other instruments in the universe. I hope you liked this article on the use cases of Data Science in astronomy. Feel free to ask valuable questions in the comments section below.
