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starshade planet finder

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khaoz
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24 Apr 2014, 9:27 pm

I think it's cool too. Find one for me, please.

http://www.sciencedump.com/content/flow ... th-planets



naturalplastic
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25 Apr 2014, 12:08 am

The story doesnt make any sense.

"It allows a telescope to photograph a planet FROM 50 thousand kilometers away".

What does that sentence mean? Why is the word "from" in there?

Does it mean that its a gizmo that you stick on the end of an earthbound telescope that enables you to photograph a planet thats 50k kilometers (30K miles) away from us on earth?

Even our own Moon is farther away than that. It would be useless for even solar system planets, much more useless for finding exoplanets.

Or does it mean that this thing itsself floats around in space 30 thousand miles away from Earth (like the hubble telescope) and photographs exoplanets (which are ofcourse in deeper space LYs away).

Or does it mean that it floats in space 30K miles up, and somehow works in tandem with a ground based telescope to assist the groundbased astronomers?



auntblabby
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25 Apr 2014, 2:38 am

I think the shade has to move 50k km from the space telescope [which has been placed well away from earth in the shadow of another astronomical body, and aimed at some other star] for it to be in the correct light-blocking geometry for the the shade to do its occultation magic and reveal heretofore hidden planets in orbit around said star.



khaoz
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25 Apr 2014, 3:08 am

Still, I hope it results in a home being found for me. I don't particularly like this one. Or rather, the majority of the inhospitable inhabitants of this planet.



naturalplastic
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25 Apr 2014, 8:06 am

auntblabby wrote:
I think the shade has to move 50k km from the space telescope [which has been placed well away from earth in the shadow of another astronomical body, and aimed at some other star] for it to be in the correct light-blocking geometry for the the shade to do its occultation magic and reveal heretofore hidden planets in orbit around said star.


That would make sense. I was thinking along those lines- that it might be essentially a piece of high tech precision masking tape- for blocking out the light of distant stars so they can see the planets.



auntblabby
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25 Apr 2014, 11:04 am

khaoz wrote:
Still, I hope it results in a home being found for me. I don't particularly like this one. Or rather, the majority of the inhospitable inhabitants of this planet.

or with the help of rural seclusion and pharmaceuticals, one could take a trip and never leave the farm. :drunken:



naturalplastic
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25 Apr 2014, 11:15 am

auntblabby wrote:
khaoz wrote:
Still, I hope it results in a home being found for me. I don't particularly like this one. Or rather, the majority of the inhospitable inhabitants of this planet.

or with the help of rural seclusion and pharmaceuticals, one could take a trip and never leave the farm. :drunken:


If they found an Earthlike exoplanet it would be 100's of light years away.

So taking mushrooms is going to be the ONLY way you're gonna be able to get to it!



auntblabby
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25 Apr 2014, 11:20 am

naturalplastic wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
I think the shade has to move 50k km from the space telescope [which has been placed well away from earth in the shadow of another astronomical body, and aimed at some other star] for it to be in the correct light-blocking geometry for the the shade to do its occultation magic and reveal heretofore hidden planets in orbit around said star.


That would make sense. I was thinking along those lines- that it might be essentially a piece of high tech precision masking tape- for blocking out the light of distant stars so they can see the planets.

I hope they do this with the logical first choice, alpha centauri. when the shite hits the fan here, maybe some Richie riches could assemble a humongous craft in orbit, for decades, then at the proper time get in and go forth to AC, with their distant descendants arriving there in less than an age, it is hoped.