Like a hand shielding the eyes from the blinding light of the Sun, a massive sunshade in the shape of a flower spreads its petals in space, enabling direct observation of exoplanets through a space telescope being developed by American space researchers.
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| Concept of the sunshade imagined by astronomer Webster Cash |
So far, exoplanets have only been detected indirectly through the disturbances they cause while orbiting their stars.
American astronomer Webster Cash from the University of Colorado Boulder has discovered a method to reduce sunlight to observe the faint light of potentially habitable exoplanets. He envisioned a sunshade measuring between 30 to 50 meters wide, deployed in space and connected to a probe. Positioned about 40,000 kilometers away from the telescope, which itself orbits approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, this sunshade would create a dark region that allows for the observation of planets.
The sunshade resembles a sunflower: according to Cash, this design is the best way to deflect light without obscuring some wavelengths that could block the view of the planets.
The researcher has presented this project to NASA so that it can work in conjunction with the future James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled for launch in 2013.
The American space agency is currently encouraging cost-effective missions that enable the discovery of potentially habitable exoplanets.
