Starlight is being blocked by a giant orbiting shade by exoplanet hunters

Earth-like exoplanets have become a top priority in astronomy. A new NASA approach aims to make finding signs of life infinitely easier than combing through billions of galaxies and star systems.

It will establish a two-pronged observatory on Earth, as well as in orbit, making it one of the most powerful planet-seeking devices ever created. As part of HOEE's project, the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert will be used alongside a space-based instrument called a 'starshade,' which blocks the light of extremely bright objects.

Exoplanets can currently be viewed in two ways. To spot where a planet might be orbiting a star, scientists use telescopes' high-powered cameras that can send radio waves back to Earth through the air. With Hubble's digital camera, hundreds of exoplanets have been discovered.

Transit spectroscopy is another method astronomers use. An orbiting planet's atmosphere changes light properties when it passes through its atmosphere. The light that passes through an environment can provide scientists with a lot of information about the conditions it was in before it reached a telescope.

Exoplanet Wasp-96 was observed using this method by the James Webb Space Telescope. Despite the JWST's capability to discover exoplanets, its primary objectives and design do not focus on searching for extraterrestrial life. A hybrid observatory, a two-part system that utilizes both ground and space-based instruments, could help here.

According to John Mather, a senior astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and lead for the HOEE study, the light of distant Earth-like planets is extremely faint, allowing them to be easily obscured by stars as bright as our sun. It's not good for astronomers looking for solar system-like places in the galaxy.

Sun's brightness is 10 billion times Earth's. In that intense glare, finding small objects is extremely difficult, especially 'a little Earth,' he says. However, starshade can be used to block a star's radiance.

In general, a starshade is positioned between a telescope and a star astronomers wish to observe, essentially blocking light from reaching the mirrors of the telescope. At least 100,000 miles away from Earth, a functional starshade would need to be more than 300 feet in diameter.

Considering how far away it would be, it also needs to operate without human intervention. It's still up in the air if the starshade could be made to conduct its own science, as it's merely a tool that allows telescopes on Earth to peer into the cosmos generally unimpeded.

This hybrid observatory would enable scientists to explore corners of the Milky Way and other systems closer than existing technologies can. One minute of exposure by a hybrid observatory could prove there's an exoplanet in the area, while an hour of exposure could show whether its atmosphere contains oxygen or water.

A starshade is still years away, Mather says. To operate the way scientists want it to, it would need to be extremely large. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are exploring concepts that can be compartmentalized and opened up later, similar to JWST's folded mirrors. Nobody has ever tried something so big. Mather says it's enormous. We're putting something so big into space.'

In an attempt to collect observatory design ideas from the public, NASA launched the Ultralight Starshade Structural Design Challenge. A prize of $3,000 will be awarded to the top five submissions. Participants have until August 22 to submit designs. As of this writing, 11 designs have been submitted.

Starshades could be successful if the public's ideas are tapped, according to Mather, who will lead the team to select the winner. In mechanical engineering, we are trying to solve some nearly impossible problems. Nevertheless, I believe it's worth trying.'