Observing exoplanets

In November this year, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will launch, the most powerful space telescope humanity has ever built. While it will offer unrivalled views of the cosmos, some scientists have suggested that there are additional features we could use with the JWST to revolutionise the field of astronomy.

One of those is to launch a starshade with the telescope. The technology has been around for years, but budget restraints have seen it remain a concept rather than an actual mission. A giant shade would be used to block the light of a distant star known to harbour exoplanets, and a powerful telescope, such as the JWST, would peer just past the shade and be able to directly observe the exoplanets. Such a proposal for a starshade-centric telescope is currently under consideration by NASA for funding. If picked, it could offer a whole new insight into exoplanets.