Infrared telescope image of a star field where Earth-like planets might someday be found. |
The Outrigger Telescopes Project is a key element in NASA's Origins program, which seeks answers to two basic questions:
"Where do we come from?" and
"Are we alone?"
Key to answering these questions is finding out how galaxies, stars and planets form, and whether other planets aside from our own have the conditions necessary to support life.
The Outrigger Telescopes Project would contribute to answering these questions by addressing four specific science objectives;
The single galaxy NGC 1232 is a normal spiral galaxy, like our own Milky Way. It is located 65 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus ("The River") |
- FIND PLANETS AROUND NEARBY STARS: Using a technique called astrometry, look for the wobble in a star's motion caused by the gravitational influence of an orbiting planet.
- LOOK FOR NEWBORN STARS: Make images of stars as they are emerging from the clouds of gas and dust in which they form, and view the disks of gas and dust debris left over after stars have been created, where planets may be forming.
- VIEW THE FAINTEST AND FARTHEST: Provide detailed information and images of some faint, dim and distant objects far beyond our galaxy.
- SEE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM FAMILY UP CLOSE: Make very detailed observations of objects within our solar system, including asteroids, comets and distant outer planets.
Interferometry
The Outrigger Telescopes Project uses a technique called interferometry to achieve these objectives. Interferometry involves combining the light from two or more separate telescopes to produce an image with similar sharpness to that produced by a single telescope whose diameter is as large as the distance between the separate telescopes. The technique also allows measurement of small motions of celestial bodies - in this case a star's tiny wobble due to an orbiting planet. This tiny wobble, equivalent to the width of a candy bar on the Moon as seen from Earth, can be measured using the Outriggers by themselves. Obtaining ultra-sharp images requires a large telescope as well, in this case the twin Keck 10-meter telescopes.
