Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2019

37 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 SPACE CHRONICLES ity to infrared wavelengths associ- ated with potentially habitable exo- planets. It will therefore be able to search for heat signatures similar to that of the Earth, which absorbs en- ergy from the Sun and emits it in the thermal infrared wavelength range. NEAR modifies the existing VISIR in- strument in three ways, combining several cutting-edge astronomical engineering achievements. First, it adapts the instrument for coronag- raphy, enabling it to drastically re- duce the light of the target star and thereby reveal the signatures of po- tential terrestrial planets. Second, it uses a technique called adaptive op- tics to strategically deform the tele- T his image shows new hardware being mounted on top of VISIR’s cryostat. [ESO/NEAR Collaboration] mented ESO project manager Robin Arsenault. “This is a valuable opportunity, as — in addition to its own science goals — the NEAR experiment is also a pathfinder for future planet-hunt- ing instruments for the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope,” says Markus Kasper, ESO’s lead scientist for NEAR. “NEAR is the first and (currently) only project that could directly image a habitable exoplanet. It marks an important milestone. Fin- gers crossed — we are hoping a large habitable planet is orbiting Alpha Cen A or B” commented Olivier Guyon, lead scientist for Breakthrough Watch. “Human beings are natural explor- ers,” said Yuri Milner, founder of the Breakthrough Initiatives, “It is time we found out what lies beyond the next valley. This telescope will let us gaze across.” scope’s secondary mirror, compensating for the blur produced by the Earth’s at- mosphere. Third, it employs novel chopping strategies that also reduce noise, as well as potentially allowing the instrument to switch rap- idly between target stars -— as fast as every 100 millisec- onds —maximising the avail- able telescope time. Pete Worden, Executive Di- rector of the Breakthrough Initiatives, said: “We’re de- lighted to collaborate with the ESO in designing, build- ing, installing and now using this innovative new instru- ment. If there are Earth-like planets around Alpha Cen- tauri A and B, that’s huge news for everyone on our planet.” “ESO is glad to bring its ex- pertise, existing infrastruc- ture, and observing time on the Very Large Telescope to the NEAR project,” com- !