Modern astronomy received an unexpected boost from a high school student’s computer. Matteo Pazan 18-year-old American young man, managed to identify nearly 1.9 million variable cosmic objects (1.5 million of them unknown until now) by reanalyzing historical archives of the Nasa with the help of artificial intelligence.
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The finding came from data collected by the telescopio espacial Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)a NASA mission launched in 2009 that for more than a decade scanned the entire sky in the infrared spectrum. That effort generated a gigantic archive of almost 200 terabytes of information, equivalent to nearly 200 billion lines of data, the magnitude of which exceeded the detailed analysis capabilities available at the time.
Paz decided to take up this material, considered largely underused, and transform it into a source of new discoveries. His work gave rise to WISE themthe first comprehensive study of infrared variability of the sky, which allowed the detected objects to be classified into 10 different categories and build an unprecedented census of variable stars and galaxies.
VARnet: the tool that sees the invisible
To carry out this task, Matteo developed VARnet, a machine learning algorithm based on waveform analysis. This tool was designed to identify subtle changes in the brightness of celestial objects over time, a key characteristic for detecting dynamic phenomena that often go undetected with traditional methods.
The system made it possible to classify millions of records and efficiently detect variable objects hidden in the WISE infrared data. Among the findings are active supermassive black holes, newborn stars, supernovae and other astronomical phenomena whose luminosity fluctuates periodically or irregularly..
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Of the total of 1.9 million identified variable objects, 1.5 million represent completely new discoveries, making Paz’s work one of the greatest recent contributions to the mapping of the infrared universe. The magnitude of the finding led the study to be published in The Astronomical Journalone of the most recognized scientific magazines in the field of astronomy.
The project was developed while Matteo was working as an associate researcher with funding from NASA, an unusual experience for someone of his age and academic level, and which shows the impact that the combination of open data, new technologies and young talent can have.
A message for the new generations
Matteo Paz’s work earned him first place in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2025one of the most important youth scientific competitions in the United States, which awards a prize of $250,000. However, beyond economic and academic recognition, the young man has stood out for his interest in sharing knowledge and motivating other students.
Matteo Paz. Photo:Society for Science/Chris Ayers Photography
“Being able to contribute in an important way is really special for me. If I could give some advice to young people with ambition: just start. You will never know how far you can go before you start,” said Paz after receiving the award, in statements collected by the Society for Science organization.
Matteo studies in Pasadena High Schoolwhere he is founder and president of a research club in which he guides other students in scientific competitions. He has also participated in his district’s student council and as a representative before the school board.
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In addition to his work in astronomy, he leads an initiative called Money Matters, focused on financial education for young peopleand runs a small concert promotion business, a facet that reflects his interest in music and cultural management.
The case of Matteo Paz demonstrates how artificial intelligence and access to large volumes of public data are redefining scientific research.
*Article developed with AI support and reviewed by a journalist.
