If you want a glimpse of how remarkable technology continues to transform the exoplanet hunt, look no further than the Subaru telescope and its SEEDS project. SEEDS (Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru Telescope/HiCIAO) works with data from the 8.2-meter telescope that the National Observatory of Japan runs on Mauna Kea (Hawaii). In its most recent finding, Subaru was used with the adaptive optics system HiCIAO (High Contrast Instrument for the Subaru Next Generation Adaptive Optics) to image the dust ring around HR 4796 A, a relatively young star (8-10 million years old) some 240 light years from Earth. Working with evanescent clouds of dust and debris over these distances is no easy matter, but adaptive optics can correct for atmospheric blurring to produce images that rival the Hubble Space Telescope's in terms of clarity. Add to that an advanced image processing technique called angular differential imaging, which suppresses the glare of the central star and...
A Future History
by Paul Gilster | Jan 3, 2012 | Culture and Society | 80 Comments
Predictions about the future of technology are so often wide of the mark, yet for many of us they're irresistible. They fuel our passion for science fiction and the expansive philosophy of thinkers like Olaf Stapledon. To begin 2012, Tau Zero founder Marc Millis offers up a set of musings about where we may be going, a scenario that, given the alternatives, sounds about as upbeat as we're likely to get. by Marc Millis "If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run - and often in the short one - the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative." ~ Arthur C. Clarke In the 'new year' spirit of looking ahead, I offer now my personal views of 'a' possible future. These predictions are based first on trend extrapolations, include intersections from other disciplines, and work in the wildcard possibility of breakthrough propulsion physics. Consider this a science fictional offering intended to provoke thought rather than a...
Charter
In Centauri Dreams, Paul Gilster looks at peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration, with an eye toward interstellar possibilities. For many years this site coordinated its efforts with the Tau Zero Foundation. It now serves as an independent forum for deep space news and ideas. In the logo above, the leftmost star is Alpha Centauri, a triple system closer than any other star, and a primary target for early interstellar probes. To its right is Beta Centauri (not a part of the Alpha Centauri system), with Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon Crucis, stars in the Southern Cross, visible at the far right (image courtesy of Marco Lorenzi).
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