Observational Astrophysics in the area of big data

We have entered a golden age in the study of astrophysical “transients” – short and often violent astronomical phenomena ranging from stellar explosions called “supernovae” to the powerful disruption of stars by black holes. The field of observational astrophysics, and specifically of transient science, is currently experiencing a “double revolution”: on the one hand, new cutting-edge telescopes are providing unprecedented copious and rich observations of transient phenomena; on the other hand, the developing field of data science is providing a plethora of new tools to analyze these observations. I will present two examples through which  we try to leverage the emerging opportunities for new discoveries and breakthroughs at this very critical moment in the history of the field. (1) Using innovative search algorithms, we try to mine decades of archival X-ray data in order to capture hidden signals originating from the very first moments of supernova explosions. These signals, which constitute a holy grail for astrophysicists, promise to reveal precious information about the stars ending their lives in spectacular explosions. (2) Using large amounts of new data from telescopes currently deployed in Space and on Earth, we seek to explore the links between supernova explosions and their environments, to get new insights into the unknown nature of exploding stars.