I read an extremely brief article many many years ago which described in very general terms how our sun could be used as a telescope - one strong enough to view objects the size of houses on planets in other solar systems. Now, in the intervening years, I have read different articles describing gravitational microlensing and the like. But I haven’t seen any articles (at least not for the layman) which have repeated the claims of what could be achieved by using our sun to such ends.
If I recall correctly, the process would have involved the construction of some unspecified telescopic device off the Earth. But I don’t really know much more beyond that. And I’ve only been able to google info on the more contemporary, down to earth use of such techniques or approaches.
Do the specifics of this old article’s claims ring a bell for anyone? I would be very interested in learning more about the specifics necessary to create such a fantastic telescope.
I read an extremely brief article many many years ago which described in very general terms how our sun could be used as a telescope - one strong enough to view objects the size of houses on planets in other solar systems. Now, in the intervening years, I have read different articles describing gravitational microlensing and the like. But I haven’t seen any articles (at least not for the layman) which have repeated the claims of what could be achieved by using our sun to such ends.
If I recall correctly, the process would have involved the construction of some unspecified telescopic device off the Earth. But I don’t really know much more beyond that. And I’ve only been able to google info on the more contemporary, down to earth use of such techniques or approaches.
Do the specifics of this old article’s claims ring a bell for anyone? I would be very interested in learning more about the specifics necessary to create such a fantastic telescope.
What you are looking for is using the Sun to focus light in creating what is called an Einstein ring, a special form of gravitational lensing. You can probably find some popular articles from the late 1980s into the 1990s on this “gravitational telescope.” Don’t look for such a telescope too soon. B)
But gravitational lensing itself has recently come to the forefront, having detected a nice extra-solar planet this year. Coincidentally, just three days ago I received a preprint from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment which confirmed one more exoplanet and identified one possible other. We are far from the technology to resolve “objects the size of houses on planets in other solar systems,” but the proposed Microlensing Planet Finder, a space-based imaging system, should be able to detect planets one-tenth the size of our Earth. Not quite on the level of detecting a house, but we are getting there.
Most of these guys have a good sense of humor. The papers, publications, data, etc. almost all refer to OGLE. But the guys involved with the Microlensing Planet Finder (MPF), could use some help!
I read an extremely brief article many many years ago which described in very general terms how our sun could be used as a telescope - one strong enough to view objects the size of houses on planets in other solar systems. Now, in the intervening years, I have read different articles describing gravitational microlensing and the like. But I haven’t seen any articles (at least not for the layman) which have repeated the claims of what could be achieved by using our sun to such ends.
If I recall correctly, the process would have involved the construction of some unspecified telescopic device off the Earth. But I don’t really know much more beyond that. And I’ve only been able to google info on the more contemporary, down to earth use of such techniques or approaches.
Do the specifics of this old article’s claims ring a bell for anyone? I would be very interested in learning more about the specifics necessary to create such a fantastic telescope.
It’s certainly theoretically possible, but rather beyond us at the moment. At least according to this page, the “focal length” of Sun is about 550 AU, which is more then ten times the orbital radius of Pluto. So until we can put an observatory out in the Oort cloud, we’re not going be able to do much with this effect.