November 10, 2024 – Our Awesome Universe

^{Image (Credit): Three astrophysics research areas to be undertaken by the SkAI Institute. (SkAI Institute)}

The SkAI Institute is an abbreviation for the NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky. It is a new initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Simons Foundation to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into astronomy.

According to the SkAI Institute’s website, the vision of this new organization is to bring together about 25 partner organization to:

Confront the challenges posed by transformative multi-wavelength and multi-messenger surveys.
Develop innovative, trustworthy AI tools for the research community.
Seed and nurture a diverse generation of interdisciplinary leaders in science and engineering to ethically apply and extend AI within and beyond academia.

The Institute’s initial focus will be (1) Stars, Compact Objects and their Transients, (2) Galaxy Formation and Evolution, and (3) Cosmology and the Early Universe.

In discussing the new institute, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, stated:

The massive amount of data that will be gathered in the coming years by the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory and other large-scale astronomical projects is simply too vast and rich to be fully explored with existing methods…With reliable and trustworthy AI in their toolbox, everyone from students to senior researchers will have exciting new ways to gain valuable insights leading to amazing discoveries that might otherwise remain hidden in the data.

Given the mixed press on recent AI initiatives, it is nice to see AI being directed at a clear need in the field of astronomy. You can learn more about the work of the new Institute by visiting its website.

^{Image (Credit): Russia’s launch of the Kowsar and Hodhod satellites from Vostochny launch-pad in far eastern Russia. (Roscosmos)}

While Americans are contemplating this week’s election, the Russians were up to more mischief this week. I am not talking about North Korean soldiers being used to attack Ukraine. I am referring to the Russians launching two Iranian satellites via a Soyuz rocket on Tuesday (yes, the same date as the US election).

One of the satellites is the Kowsar, a high-resolution imaging satellite, and the second the Hodhod, which is a small communications satellite. Both are said to be private sector cubic satellites, representing the first private sector Iranian satellites to be launched to date. Tehran Times states that both satellites are being used for agricultural purposes.

Hassan Salarieh, the head of the Iranian Space Agency stated:

Achieving significant goals in this field is unattainable without robust participation from private enterprises. We believe that the private sector should enter this field in a competitive environment, considering market criteria.

The partnership between Russia and Iran regarding potentially dual-use space technology, at a time when both nations are involved in military actions against their neighbors, is not good news for peace.