Say goodbye to your camera bump: Miniaturized optics through new counterpart to lens

Phys.org ^ | 6/10/2021 | University of Ottawa

[LibWhacker]

I’d love that, too!

Depending on the cost of “spaceplate,” there’s no limit on how big telescopes could become. Do you want to see all the smiling faces on some planet in Andromeda? Could become a reality... I guess?

[SES1066]

OMG, I hope that the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) do not hear about this! It is supposed to finally launch this Halloween after a mere 14 years after the 1st planned deployment. [Now the ESA Ariane 5 is a danger point for added delay - SIGH!]

Yes, I am being somewhat sarcastic while hoping that it is successful. It will be the pits if it gets all of the way to L2 (Lagrange Point 2) 1.5 million kilometers / 932k miles / 5 light seconds anti-sunward and then has a failure. The Hubble was repaired and had a magnificent follow-on maintenance through the US Space Shuttle BUT that will be impossible for this one.

[SES1066]

Such a telescope located at the Lagrange point between Earth and moon would be very cool :-)

Oops, methinks you are off on your celestial mechanics (smile)! There are 5 Lagrange points in the Earth-Sol configuration and none lie between the Earth and Luna.

L1 is 400k kilometers / 932k miles / 5 light seconds directly sunward from Earth while L2 is its mirror opposite anti-sunward and the destination of the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope). L3 is at the contra-Earth point behind Sol at just a bit outside Earth's orbit. L4 & L5 are at the 'Trojan Points' leading and following Earth in the Earth-Sol equation.

FYI: Only L4 & L5 are naturally positionally stable and, as such, already have detected objects in that area. L1-L3 require station keeping intervention to avoid a 'falling off' problem. As such, there is no current natural occupant(s) already there.

[xp38]

Have someone check it out. Could be something serious :)

[null and void]

I want to see a square mile telescope or, what the heck, a ten square mile one. Weight won't be an issue anymore, just the price of land.

Space is cheap, once you get into space, and light weight makes it easy to get into space...

[lepton]

so.....there’s no actual prototype...of even the substance/lens.

[Ozark Tom]

Space Plate:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23358-8

[lefty-lie-spy]

I saw this somewhere a few months ago, and, as a photographer, I also always wondered when there would be some new technology that would do away with glass as lenses. I knew something would have to come up eventually. I’m glad you posted this and that it has nothing to do with steam or pit bulls.