High School Student Identifies 1.5 Million Unidentified Space Objects Using NASA Data

Matteo Paz, a high school student from Pasadena, California, discovered approximately 1.5 million previously unidentified space objects by analyzing archival data from NASA's NEOWISE mission. Participating in the Planet Finder Academy in 2022 under Caltech scientist Davy Kirkpatrick, Paz developed a machine-learning system to detect subtle changes in brightness across billions of measurements. His automated approach enabled analysis of the entire dataset, leading to findings later published in The Astronomical Journal and earning him a $250,000 award.