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ExoLife Finder
The ExoLife Finder Telescope (ELF) is a proposed hybrid interferometric Interferometry is a technique which uses the '' interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber op ... telescope intended to directly detect and image the surface of potentially Earth-like planets. The telescope, which was proposed by the PLANETS Foundation, consists of an array of telescopes arranged in a circle from a parent parabola. Each telescope has primary and secondary adaptive mirrors. These mirrors form a common image with the resolution equivalent to the diameter of the array. The ELF is designed with the use of light-weight mirrors and tensegrity-based mechanical support, which makes it scalable, affordable, and rapidly buildable within 3–4 years. To image the surface of, for example, Proxima b, the array should be at least 12 meters in diame ...
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Adaptive Optics Correct
Adaptation, in biology, is the process or trait by which organisms or population better match their environment Adaptation may also refer to: Arts * Adaptation (arts), a transfer of a work of art from one medium to another ** Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film ** Literary adaptation, a story from a literary source, adapted into another work ** ** Theatrical adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a play * ''Adaptation'' (film), a 2002 film by Spike Jonze * "Adaptation" (''The Walking Dead''), a television episode *''Adaptation'', a 2012 novel by Malinda Lo Biology and medicine * Adaptation (eye), the eye's adjustment to light ** Chromatic adaptation, visual systems' adjustments to changes in illumination for preservation of colors ** Prism adaptation, sensory-motor adjustments after the visual field has been artificially shifted * Cellular adaptation, changes by cells/tissues in response to changed microenvironments * High-altit ...
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Interferometry
Interferometry is a technique which uses the '' interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber optics, engineering metrology, optical metrology, oceanography, seismology, spectroscopy (and its applications to chemistry), quantum mechanics, nuclear and particle physics, plasma physics, remote sensing, biomolecular interactions, surface profiling, microfluidics, mechanical stress/strain measurement, velocimetry, optometry, and making holograms. Interferometers are devices that extract information from interference. They are widely used in science and industry for the measurement of microscopic displacements, refractive index changes and surface irregularities. In the case with most interferometers, light from a single source is split into two beams that travel in different optical paths, which are then combined again to prod ...
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Earth Analog
An Earth analog, also called an Earth analogue, Earth twin, or second Earth, is a planet or moon with environmental conditions similar to those found on Earth. The term Earth-like planet is also used, but this term may refer to any terrestrial planet. The possibility is of particular interest to astrobiologists and astronomers under reasoning that the more similar a planet is to Earth, the more likely it is to be capable of sustaining complex extraterrestrial life. As such, it has long been speculated and the subject expressed in science, philosophy, science fiction and popular culture. Advocates of space colonization and space and survival have long sought an Earth analog for settlement. In the far future, humans might artificially produce an Earth analog by terraforming. Before the scientific search for and study of extrasolar planets, the possibility was argued through philosophy and science fiction. Philosophers have suggested that the size of the universe is such tha ...
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Tensegrity
Tensegrity, tensional integrity or floating compression is a structural principle based on a system of isolated components under compression inside a network of continuous tension, and arranged in such a way that the compressed members (usually bars or struts) do not touch each other while the prestressed tensioned members (usually cables or tendons) delineate the system spatially. The term was coined by Buckminster Fuller in the 1960s as a portmanteau of "tensional integrity". The other denomination of tensegrity, ''floating compression'', was used mainly by the constructivist artist Kenneth Snelson. Concept Tensegrity structures are based on the combination of a few simple design patterns: * members loaded in either pure compression or pure tension, which means that the structure will only fail if the cables yield or the rods buckle. This enables the material properties and cross-sectional geometry of each member to be optimized to the particular load it carries. * pr ...
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Proxima Centauri B
Proxima Centauri b (or Proxima b), sometimes referred to as Alpha Centauri Cb, is an exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, which is the closest star to the Sun and part of the triple star system Alpha Centauri. It is about from Earth in the constellation Centaurus, making it, along with the disputed Proxima c, and Proxima d the closest known exoplanets to the Solar System. Proxima Centauri b orbits its parent star at a distance of roughly with an orbital period of approximately 11.2 Earth days. Its other properties are only poorly understood, but it is believed to be a potentially Earth-like planet with a minimum mass of at least . The planet orbits within the habitable zone of its star; but it is not known whether it has an atmosphere. Proxima Centauri is a flare star with intense emission of electromagnetic radiation that could strip an atmosphere off the planet. The planet's proximity to Earth offers an opportunity for robotic s ...
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Telescopes
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe distant objects, the word ''telescope'' now refers to a wide range of instruments capable of detecting different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and in some cases other types of detectors. The first known practical telescopes were refracting telescopes with glass lenses and were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century. They were used for both terrestrial applications and astronomy. The reflecting telescope, which uses mirrors to collect and focus light, was invented within a few decades of the first refracting telescope. In the 20th century, many new types of telescopes were invented, including radio telescopes in the 1930s and infrared telescopes in the 1960s. Etymology The word ''telescope'' wa ...
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Astronomical Imaging
Astrophotography, also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky. The first photograph of an astronomical object (the Moon) was taken in 1840, but it was not until the late 19th century that advances in technology allowed for detailed stellar photography. Besides being able to record the details of extended objects such as the Moon, Sun, and planets, modern astrophotography has the ability to image objects invisible to the human eye such as dim stars, nebulae, and galaxies. This is done by long time exposure since both film and digital cameras can accumulate and sum photons over these long periods of time. Photography using extended exposure-times revolutionized the field of professional astronomical research, recording hundreds of thousands of new stars, and nebulae invisible to the human eye. Specialized and ever-larger optical telescopes were constructed as essentially big cameras t ...
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Astronomical Instruments
Astronomical instruments include: *Alidade *Armillary sphere * Astrarium *Astrolabe *Astronomical clock *the Antikythera mechanism, an astronomical clock *Blink comparator *Bolometer *the Canterbury Astrolabe Quadrant *Celatone *Celestial sphere *Charge-coupled device * Computers *CMOS sensor *Coronagraph * Cosmolabe *Dioptra * Equatorial ring * Equatorium *Gnomon *Inclinometer *Interferometer * Kamal *Meridian circle * Microchannel plate detector * Mural instrument * Nebra sky disk *Nocturnal * Octant *Optical spectrometer, a.k.a., Spectrograph *Orrery *Photographic plate *Photometer *Planisphere *the Prague astronomical clock * Quadrant *Reticle * Radio plate *Retroreflector * Scaphe *Sextant *Starshade *Space telescope *Spectrometers *Sundial *Telescope * Torquetum * Triquetrum *Zenith telescope See also *Astronomy * Outline of astronomy * Surveying instrument *Measurement instrument {{DEFAULTSORT:Astronomical instruments Instruments Instrument may refer to: Science a ...
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