looking for extraterrestrials JUST got more interesting…

Astronomers have come up with an advanced optic that could get close ups of exoplanets.  There has been a lot of talk about excoplanets lately, namely kepler 452-b which is considered to be extremely “Earth like”.   Previously the most famous “alien search” was through the SETI program that started in the 1970s.

Here is how this technique works of using this device:

The vector-APP coronagraph[1] uses the wavelike nature of light to cancel out the starlight whilst allowing the planet’s light to shine through.

This manipulation is implemented through a complex phase pattern that can only be manufactured using advanced liquid crystal 3D patterning techniques [2]. This technique creates two images of the star, for which dark D-shaped regions are located on opposite sides of each star image. In this way, the whole region around the star can be scrutinized for planets. By combining several layers of liquid crystals, the device can be used over a wide range of wavelengths, including the infrared where the contrast between planet and star is more favorable.

Let’s find out more and check out a cool video on page 2

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