A NASA-funded project aims to use the Sun as a gigantic lens to peer into the far reaches of the cosmos. The project, led by Slava Turyshev at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, received $2 million in funding from the space agency’s Institute for Advanced Concepts back in 2020. The mission would involve several small satellites that self-assemble at the solar gravitational lens (SGL) point, an epic journey that could take up to 25 years. The Sun’s gravitational field would greatly magnify light from the exoplanet as it passes by, allowing the satellites to peer far beyond what has been possible so far. To cover the distance, the mission would take advantage of a solar sail, which are only starting to be tested by scientists. . . .
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