How does modern astronomy infer planets around stars?

By looking for wobbling motion caused by gravity.

What is the ultimate goal of high-resolution imaging in astronomy?

To image inhabitants of distant exoplanets.

With a spatial resolution of about six inches.

Advanced alien civilizations might be monitoring Earth with probes.

By sending a high-velocity flyby mission using a gram-sized camera.

Achieving high-resolution imaging of distant exoplanets necessitates innovative techniques like interferometry and massive telescopes, highlighting the challenges posed by the vast distances in space.
Monitoring Earth for potential alien surveillance involves repurposing existing tools like SETI, considering the limitations of current technologies in resolving detailed activities on our planet while exploring alternative methods like alien flyby probes for data transmission.

How does modern astronomy infer planets around stars?
By looking for wobbling motion caused by gravity.
What is the ultimate goal of high-resolution imaging in astronomy?
To image inhabitants of distant exoplanets.
How can Earth monitoring telescopes in low Earth orbit resolve activities on Earth?
With a spatial resolution of about six inches.
What is the concept of Bracewell probes in the context of alien civilizations?
Advanced alien civilizations might be monitoring Earth with probes.
How does Breakthrough Starshot aim to explore Proxima Centauri's planets?
By sending a high-velocity flyby mission using a gram-sized camera.

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On clear nights, the sky can captivate our imagination with dreams of other worlds.
Modern astronomy uses clever tricks to infer planets around stars, such as looking for wobbling motion caused by gravity.
The spatial resolution of images of planets is limited by the vast chasm of space between stars.
To improve resolution, a telescope of about 70 kilometers in diameter is needed to photograph a super earth-sized planet.
Interferometry, combining light from different telescopes, can achieve high-resolution imaging.
The ultimate goal is to image inhabitants of distant exoplanets, requiring a telescope with an effective diameter of 600,000 kilometers.
Earth monitoring telescopes in low Earth orbit can resolve activities on Earth with a spatial resolution of about six inches.
Breakthrough Starshot aims to send a high-velocity flyby mission to Proxima Centauri's planets using a gram-sized camera.
The concept of Bracewell probes suggests that advanced alien civilizations might be monitoring Earth with probes.
To search for alien transmissions, traditional tools like SETI could be repurposed to target nearby asteroids for communication monitoring.

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A 10 centimeter low earth orbit telescope would have a spatial resolution of 2 meters, limiting its ability to resolve individual people on the surface.
Low earth orbit is problematic due to instability, requiring periodic thruster adjustments to maintain orbit.
The moon has been extensively photographed, limiting the usefulness of a telescope there for high-resolution imaging of Earth.
Co-orbital asteroids like Gruenia could potentially be used for monitoring Earth, but their chaotic orbits make interferometry challenging.
A distant vantage point like Saturn would require an enormous telescope to image Earth at high resolution.
Monitoring radio communications from Earth may be a more feasible option for alien probes, but deciphering messages poses challenges.
Transitioning away from radio communication on Earth may further limit the usefulness of monitoring radio signals.
The concept of alien flyby probes, like Breakthrough Starship, may offer a more practical approach for monitoring Earth, potentially using relay systems for data transmission.