Galaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled Data

Galaxy morphology classification plays a crucial role in understanding the structure and evolution of the Universe. With galaxy observation data growing exponentially, machine learning has become a core technology for this classification task. However, traditional machine learning methods predominan...

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Main Authors: Zhijian Luo, Jianzhen Chen, Zhu Chen, Shaohua Zhang, Liping Fu, Hubing Xiao, Chenggang Shu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/addb4c
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author Zhijian Luo
Jianzhen Chen
Zhu Chen
Shaohua Zhang
Liping Fu
Hubing Xiao
Chenggang Shu
author_facet Zhijian Luo
Jianzhen Chen
Zhu Chen
Shaohua Zhang
Liping Fu
Hubing Xiao
Chenggang Shu
author_sort Zhijian Luo
collection DOAJ
description Galaxy morphology classification plays a crucial role in understanding the structure and evolution of the Universe. With galaxy observation data growing exponentially, machine learning has become a core technology for this classification task. However, traditional machine learning methods predominantly rely on supervised learning frameworks, and their dependence on large amounts of labeled samples limits practical applications. To address this challenge, we propose an innovative hybrid semisupervised model, Wasserstein GAN for galaxy classification (GC-SWGAN), designed to tackle galaxy morphology classification under conditions of limited labeled data. This model integrates semisupervised generative adversarial networks (GANs) with Wasserstein GAN with gradient penalty, establishing a multitask learning framework. Within this framework, the discriminator and classifier are designed independently while sharing part of the architecture. By collaborating with the generator, the model significantly enhances both classification performance and sample generation capabilities, while also improving convergence and stability during training. Experimental results demonstrate that, on the Galaxy10 DECaLS data set, GC-SWGAN achieves comparable or even superior classification accuracy (exceeding 75%) using only one-fifth of the labeled samples typically required by conventional fully supervised methods. Under identical labeled conditions, the model displays excellent generalization performance, attaining approximately 84% classification accuracy. Notably, in extreme scenarios where only 10% of the data is labeled, GC-SWGAN still achieves high classification accuracy (over 68%), fully demonstrating its stability and effectiveness in low-labeled data environments. Furthermore, galaxy images generated by GC-SWGAN are visually similar to real samples. Our approach provides a new solution to the challenge of needing to manually label large amounts of data in astronomy.
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institution Kabale University
issn 0067-0049
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher IOP Publishing
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series The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
spelling doaj-art-e3945928ca2e4d1dabb1d47ba42800402025-08-20T03:32:51ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series0067-00492025-01-0127911710.3847/1538-4365/addb4cGalaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled DataZhijian Luo0https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1617-8747Jianzhen Chen1Zhu Chen2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2326-0476Shaohua Zhang3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8485-2814Liping Fu4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0688-8445Hubing Xiao5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8244-1229Chenggang Shu6Shanghai Key Lab for Astrophysics, Shanghai Normal University , Shanghai 200234, People’s Republic of China ; zjluo@shnu.edu.cnShanghai Key Lab for Astrophysics, Shanghai Normal University , Shanghai 200234, People’s Republic of China ; zjluo@shnu.edu.cnShanghai Key Lab for Astrophysics, Shanghai Normal University , Shanghai 200234, People’s Republic of China ; zjluo@shnu.edu.cnShanghai Key Lab for Astrophysics, Shanghai Normal University , Shanghai 200234, People’s Republic of China ; zjluo@shnu.edu.cnShanghai Key Lab for Astrophysics, Shanghai Normal University , Shanghai 200234, People’s Republic of China ; zjluo@shnu.edu.cn; Center for Astronomy and Space Sciences, China Three Gorges University , Yichang 443000, People’s Republic of ChinaShanghai Key Lab for Astrophysics, Shanghai Normal University , Shanghai 200234, People’s Republic of China ; zjluo@shnu.edu.cnShanghai Key Lab for Astrophysics, Shanghai Normal University , Shanghai 200234, People’s Republic of China ; zjluo@shnu.edu.cnGalaxy morphology classification plays a crucial role in understanding the structure and evolution of the Universe. With galaxy observation data growing exponentially, machine learning has become a core technology for this classification task. However, traditional machine learning methods predominantly rely on supervised learning frameworks, and their dependence on large amounts of labeled samples limits practical applications. To address this challenge, we propose an innovative hybrid semisupervised model, Wasserstein GAN for galaxy classification (GC-SWGAN), designed to tackle galaxy morphology classification under conditions of limited labeled data. This model integrates semisupervised generative adversarial networks (GANs) with Wasserstein GAN with gradient penalty, establishing a multitask learning framework. Within this framework, the discriminator and classifier are designed independently while sharing part of the architecture. By collaborating with the generator, the model significantly enhances both classification performance and sample generation capabilities, while also improving convergence and stability during training. Experimental results demonstrate that, on the Galaxy10 DECaLS data set, GC-SWGAN achieves comparable or even superior classification accuracy (exceeding 75%) using only one-fifth of the labeled samples typically required by conventional fully supervised methods. Under identical labeled conditions, the model displays excellent generalization performance, attaining approximately 84% classification accuracy. Notably, in extreme scenarios where only 10% of the data is labeled, GC-SWGAN still achieves high classification accuracy (over 68%), fully demonstrating its stability and effectiveness in low-labeled data environments. Furthermore, galaxy images generated by GC-SWGAN are visually similar to real samples. Our approach provides a new solution to the challenge of needing to manually label large amounts of data in astronomy.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/addb4cGalaxiesConvolutional neural networksGround-based astronomyAstronomy data modelingAstronomy data analysisComputational astronomy
spellingShingle Zhijian Luo
Jianzhen Chen
Zhu Chen
Shaohua Zhang
Liping Fu
Hubing Xiao
Chenggang Shu
Galaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled Data
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Galaxies
Convolutional neural networks
Ground-based astronomy
Astronomy data modeling
Astronomy data analysis
Computational astronomy
title Galaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled Data
title_full Galaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled Data
title_fullStr Galaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled Data
title_full_unstemmed Galaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled Data
title_short Galaxy Morphology Classification via Deep Semisupervised Learning with Limited Labeled Data
title_sort galaxy morphology classification via deep semisupervised learning with limited labeled data
topic Galaxies
Convolutional neural networks
Ground-based astronomy
Astronomy data modeling
Astronomy data analysis
Computational astronomy
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/addb4c
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