14 DAY TRIAL // Space enthusiasts with the University of Colorado Boulder in the US are the brains behind a new space telescope that promises to deliver images a whopping 1,000 sharper than those obtained by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The system, featured in the image accompanying this article, comprises a space telescope per se and an accompanying opaque disk measuring 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) across positioned right in front of it.
As explained by University of Colorado Boulder researcher Webster Cash, this opaque disk is designed to collect light waves coming its way from space, converge them and feed the light into the orbiting telescope.
“The opaque disk works in a similar way to a basic lens. The light diffracted around the edge of the circular disk travels the same path length to the center and comes into focus as an image,” details scientist Anthony Harness.
The telescope, dubbed Aragoscope after the French scientist Francois Arago, promises to be accurate enough to image plasma exchanges between stars, even rabbits hopping around here on Earth.
The thing is that, for the time being at least, this impressive space telescope is nothing but a concept. Thus, those handling the money, so to speak, are yet to approve its construction.
Some time ago, in June 2014, NASA agreed to fund work on this project. Sometime next week, the University of Colorado Boulder researchers will report the progress they have so far made.
Should all go well, the project might earn additional funding. Otherwise put, it might be only a matter of time until the Aragoscope is put together and takes to the skies.