The Dutch Black Hole Consortium recently released an app called “Black Hole Finder” that lets you help identify newly formed black holes. For those who are unaware, the Dutch Black Hole Consortium is a group of over 30 scientists, carrying out an interdisciplinary black hole search program.
In this article, I will tell you how the Black Hole Finder app works, how you can download it and more.
According to the description on Play Store, the Black Hole Finder app uses real data from telescopes and other astronomical sources to help you identify potential black holes in the night sky. The app lets you adjust the settings to match your location and time, and shows you where to look for black holes in the sky.
“When a gravitational wave signal is detected, the BlackGEM telescopes in Chile quickly scan the sky. Your task is to help identify potential kilonovas – brief flashes of light caused by the merger of two neutron stars, resulting in a new black hole. By using the app, you’re directly contributing to cutting-edge astronomical research!” the app’s website reads.
Also read: NASA’s Hubble discovers rare black hole close to Earth in Omega Centauri
You can download the Black Hole Finder app from the Play Store and App Store.
Black Hole Finder app on Google Play Store- Black Hole Finder – Apps on Google Play
Black Hole Finder app on App Store- Black hole finder on the App Store (apple.com)
Also read: NASA finds pure sulfur crystals on Mars for the first time
In a statement to Space.com, Radboud University’s Steven Bloemen, project manager of the BlackGEM telescopes, said, “People are still much better at identifying patterns than our algorithms.” “By using the app, citizens across the world can help train our AI algorithms to distinguish between real and false sources and pinpoint the most interesting candidate sources more quickly.”