Science Blog ZINC PROJECTS
Making giant lunar telescopes
Date: 11-Jun-08
Author: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Scientists working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., have concocted an innovative recipe for giant telescope mirrors on the Moon. To make a mirror that dwarfs anything on Earth, just take a little bit of carbon, throw in some epoxy, and add lots of lunar dust.
The capabilities of a 50-meter telescope on the Moon boggle the imagination, according to NASA. With a stable platform, and no atmosphere to absorb or blur starlight, the monster scope could record the spectra of extra solar terrestrial planets and detect atmospheric biomarkers such as ozone and methane.
Studying the Universe from the Moon. An innovative approach could make giant telescopes much larger than the telescopes depicted in this artist rendering. Courtesy: NASA
Two or more such telescopes spanning the surface of the Moon can work together to take direct images of Earth-like planets around nearby stars and look for brightness variations that come from oceans and continents. Among many other projects, it could make detailed observations of galaxies at various distances, to see how the universe evolved.
Full story: NASA Scientists Pioneer Method for Making Giant Lunar Telescopes
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