The Solar Gravitational Lens will Map Exoplanets. Seriously, there's a real plan to do just that. Using the Sun to gravitationally lens an exoplanet into an Einstein ring turns the Sun into the most powerful telescope in our solar system. But it's not science fiction. Plans are underway at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to send solar sails to the solar gravitational lens focus to make the first ever image of an exoplanet's surface, and do it within our lifetime!

00:00 Start
01:20 Ordinary telescopes vs. gravitational lensing
04:42 Distances involved
06:28 Imaging with the Sun
13:09 Mission overview and solar sails
16:52 in situ telescope assembly
20:56 NIAC studies
22:58 Thank you's

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🧭 References:
Turyshev & Toth 2020: https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.06492
Turyshev et al 2020: https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.11871
Turyshev et al 2020: https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.05623

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Westminster, MD 21158
United States
Earth

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Watch next: Solar Orbiter Discovers Surprising new Phenomenon in the Sun
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