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Laputan Logic (1619 words) |
 | One of the great difficulties of directly detecting extra-solar planets with space-based infrared nulling interferometry is the requirement to have long baselines. |
| Nulling interferometry works by taking the signal from two or more telescopes and combining them in such a way as to cancel out the light comes from the star that the planets are orbiting around. |
| This is important because stars are (depending on the wavelengths used) anywhere between a million and a billion times brighter than the planets which orbit them and the most interesting planets to study are the ones that, just like the earth, lie in the so-called "habitable zone" close to the star. |
| Planet Quest: Missions - Keck Interferometer (652 words) |
| To this end, measurements taken by the Keck Interferometer will assist in planning the specifications of the TPF mission. |
| To measure dust emissions, Keck Interferometer will use an interferometric technique called "nulling" interferometry. |
| This technique cancels out light from a star in order that its surrounding dust emission can be measured. |
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