Have you ever hoped that we could peek into all these recently discovered exoplanets? We are not likely to visit anytime soon, but it will be possible to build a truly huge telescope that can see something like this. At least accordingly [SciShow Space] A recent video you can watch below.
The idea given in a recent scientific research paper is to intentionally create a situation that naturally forms a gravitational lens. If you think about it, scientists have used these naturally occurring lenses to capture the oldest star of all time. These natural super-telescopes have paid off many times, but you can’t choose what you want to see. It is a function of the distance of all the stars that make up the lens and point a line between us.
But what if you could make your own gravity lens? Okay, we’re probably not going to do that in our garage. However, a recent paper talks about introducing an optical detector that you can operate so that it stays on a line that allows you to see the object and pass through our own sun. We obviously have the technology to do that. After all, we have a number of excellent space telescopes and a number of probes working far away from the sun.
Although this is one of the biggest catches. This new telescope should be about 550 AU from the sun to get good results. For the record, Earth is 1 AU (about 8 light minutes) out. Pluto – perhaps no longer a planet, but still a signpost on its way out of the solar system – is outside 39 AU. Travel I.Which has been running away from the sun since 1977 with only 156 AU outside.
Because the craft will be so far away, it will be virtually a one-shot mission. You have to have something reliable enough to take 17 years to get in place with today’s technology. You also need a way to get data back at that distance. All possible, but not trivial.
The paper mimics what the earth would look like using this technique from a nearby star. Images are surprisingly good, especially after post-processing. In the meantime, we may have to settle for more modest images. You may not get to see the details, but it is possible to find exoplanets with reasonably moderate equipment.