Rectangular telescopes could help us find habitable planets
Technology
Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have just proposed a cool new way to search for habitable planets: rectangular telescopes.
Published this September, their study says these telescopes might finally help us spot distant worlds by making it easier to separate a planet's light from its much brighter star—a big problem with traditional round telescopes.
Rectangular telescopes are easier to build and launch
Rectangular telescopes are easier to build and launch than giant circular ones, plus they give scientists a wider view of space.
When paired with special tech that blocks out starlight, these scopes could make it way simpler to find planets that might support life.
The study suggests that this approach could improve the search for other potentially livable worlds.