NASA Takes Step Forward In Planet Finding

Spy der Mann wrote to mention a piece at Physorg.com about a major breakthrough in planet finding. From the article: "On a crystal clear, star-filled night at Hawaii's Keck Observatory in Mauna Kea, NASA engineers successfully suppressed the blinding light of three stars, including the well-known Vega, by 100 times. This breakthrough will enable scientists to detect the dim dust disks around stars, where planets might be forming. Normally the disks are obscured by the glare of the starlight. Engineers accomplished this challenging feat with the Keck Interferometer, which links the observatory's two 10-meter (33-feet) telescopes. By combining light from the telescopes, the Keck Interferometer has a resolving power equivalent to a football-field sized telescope. The 'technological touchdown' of blocking starlight was achieved by adding an instrument called a 'nuller.' "

Comments

You can do the same thing at home

[Chairboy]

I've replicated the same feat at home using a device I call a "lens cap", except I can significantly beat the 100x reduction of star brightness.

I'll entertain all bids on this technology...

Why!?

[damnfuct]

The question I have to ask is why are we looking for planets?! It's almost as if we've totally leapfrogged the part where we actually find a way to get INTO space and TO planets. It's like we're kids looking through the window of a bar wanting to taste beer. Instead of looking at beer and wondering if it tastes good, we kids should be forging some fake id's and finding out for ourselves.

Re:Just imagine...

[arootbeer]

function nuller(object)
      set object = null
end function

Re:Let's get the instruments in space

[MyLongNickName]

Really, people. Think before you hit "submit".

You must be new here.