Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion Podcast February 4, 2020

In this installment of Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we examine the opening of two new observatories — one on the ground, and the other in space. We will also learn about a new study showing how artificial intelligence can be fooled in the search for extraterrestrial life, and we will remember the crew of the space shuttle Columbia, lost 17 years ago when their vehicle disintegrated on re-entry while returning home to Earth.<br/><br/>An artist’s impression of the CHEOPS observatory in space. Image credit: ESA/ATG Media Lab<br/><br/>The first public video of the Sun taken by the new <a href="https://medium.com/the-cosmic-companion/inouye-solar-telescope-scores-big-with-first-video-of-sun-6e5c82b15329?source=friends_link&#38;sk=a04201527d9ed0854b472e43214240cd">Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope</a> in Hawaii reveals the solar surface in unprecedented detail. The groundbreaking telescope features a primary mirror measuring four meters in diameter, as well as design capabilities capable of observing our parent star with stunning clarity.<br/><br/>Solar activities drive space weather, which can adversely affect electronic devices on Earth, hindering communications. By better understanding activities on the Sun, researchers hope to better refine predictions of weather in space.<br/><br/>Astronomers searching for signs of extraterrestrial life need to comb through vast amounts of data in order to find patterns in seemingly chaotic data. Over the last few years, many researchers are starting to use artificial intelligence to examine data, looking for patterns that could reveal the presence of life.<br/><br/>However, a new study shows that <a href="https://medium.com/the-cosmic-companion/could-ai-be-fooled-in-the-search-for-et-e7b03fa3df12?source=friends_link&#38;sk=6a29b5f24658819db56eaf15b41973e1">artificial intelligence</a> will sometimes recognize patterns where none exist. Images of a bright spot of ice and salt on the dwarf planet Ceres show a bright white marking, shaped like a square, but computerized a