New 'Telescope' Technology...1000 times more powerful then Huble

[M.D. Holloway]

New Space Telescope Tech Could Be 1,000 Times Sharper Than Hubble

or you could turn it inward...

[flatbutt]

Only if they manufacture the optics correctly.

[MRM]

Fortunately it won't matter if they turn it back on us and look at the ground. The physics of light is that we've already reached the maximum resolution of what's visible through our atmosphere. You can see people and make out their shapes, but you can't really read license plates or recognize faces. Stronger optics doesn't make any difference. That's why the only way to really expand our view of the universe is to get space-based telescopes. You have to avoid the atmosphere to get a clear view.

Nostatic will be able to explain the science much better, but we don't have to worry about telescopes in the sky until they mount them on lower flying drones. Now that's something to be concerned about.

[Pazuzu]

Wow, the extrapolation in that story is amazing!

Don't expect much from this.
(1) it's a minor physical phenomenon that gives you a lensing effect, but no imaging capability, meaning it'll act like a single sensitive pixel, not a 2D array of data.
(2) The return vs. cost and technology requirement would be outrageously small.
(3) It's some grad students plaything, I did the same kind of stuff for my thesis, it was theoretically great and mechanically impossible.
(4) people have been putting disks in front of telescopes since...well, since Newton invented his telescope design.


Hey, there's some pilots here, you know the Glory? Same effect, light diffracting around an occulting object and creating a point-like image.

[GH85Carrera]

Aerial photography from ground based aircraft will always be much sharper that the best telescope in space for gathering high resolution imagery of the earth. For covering wide areas and getting data deep inside other un-friendly countries one does not need super sharp detail.

That space telescope looks like wild dreaming right now. To build a complex telescope that is that far away from earth and that complex is likely impossible with the technology of today. The cost will be crazy high.

[BK911]

Originally Posted by MRM

...but we don't have to worry about telescopes in the sky until they mount them on lower flying drones. Now that's something to be concerned about.

Saw some documentary on drones a month or so ago.
They said the limitations on the imaging is the area, not the zoom.
Operators were basically looking through a straw.
By using cell phone technology they were able to increase the area to that of a small city, and still zoom in to see birds and license plates.
And this is what they declassified enough to tell us.

[rusnak]

The cartoon image of the telescope looks like something the ambiguously gay duo would use. On each other.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

Although only a concept at this stage, it does seem to beg the question: Will the 'aragoscope' render the soon to be deployed James Webb Telescope obsolete? - providing of course, the JWT is successfully launched.

Cheers
JB

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye's-911T

Although only a concept at this stage, it does seem to beg the question: Will the 'aragoscope' render the soon to be deployed James Webb Telescope obsolete? - providing of course, the JWT is successfully launched.

Cheers
JB

Not in any way shape or form. One, because the new space telescope is a full infrared imaging facility, and two because only one of those things is an actual telescope, vs. a drawing in some computer aided environment. It's not even a concept.

[kach22i]

Only six of the 12 proposals currently funded will continue to receive funding from NIAC in 2015. Those that make it through the April cut will get another two years and $500,000 to develop their concepts further.

Let's hope the government continues to support and fund such projects.

Politics, not here but you know what I'm thinking.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by BK911

Saw some documentary on drones a month or so ago.
They said the limitations on the imaging is the area, not the zoom.
Operators were basically looking through a straw.
By using cell phone technology they were able to increase the area to that of a small city, and still zoom in to see birds and license plates.
And this is what they declassified enough to tell us.

Drones or UAVs is just part of it. Helicopters and airplanes shoot pictures as well. We can stitch together thousands of images and each original image is over a gigabyte. The only limit is the budget.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

It's not even a concept.

Maybe 'concept' was a poor choice of words on my part although I did take it from the following quote on an article re: the aragoscope:

"This new orbital telescope concept, which was selected by NASA last June, became one of the 12 proposals for its NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) program".

I am also aware of some of the JWT's capabilities & the fact it is an existing piece of hardware scheduled to be launched in mid to late 2018.

Cheers
JB

Edit: Looks like kach22i was reading the same article.