A DWARF galaxy has just been discovered by an amateur astronomer – but scientists missed it.
The galaxy is so faint a computer algorithm designed to detect unknown galaxies was unable to spot it.
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The galaxy, known as Donatiello II, is nestled among distant stars and even more distant galaxies.
Donatiello II is one of three galaxies, recently discovered by astronomer Giuseppe Donatiello, that were all missed by the algorithm.
The algorithm usually which trawls through vast amounts of astronomical data for potential galaxy candidates.
“If you cannot quite distinguish the clump of faint stars that is all we can see of Donatiello II in this image, then you are in good company,” scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) said.
“Even the best algorithms have their limitations when it comes to distinguishing very faint galaxies from individual stars and background noise.
“In these most challenging identification cases, discovery has to be done the old-fashioned way — by a dedicated human trawling through the data themselves.”
It proves that humans are still able to discover astronomical wonders without relying on a computer.
Donatiello was able to pick up on the galaxy using dark energy data.
Dark energy is a form of energy that scientists believe can act in opposition to gravity and fills most of the universe, causing its expansion to speed up.
The picture of the galaxy, taken by the Nasa and ESA Hubble Space Telescope, confirmed Donatiello’s discovery after digging through the data himself.
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