New Space Telescope Boasts Images 1000 Times Sharper Than Hubble

A new space telescope concept, the brainchild of researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, could boast images up to 1,000 times sharper than NASA's own Hubble Space Telescope, potentially changing the game of space exploration.

The newly proposed telescope, named the Aragoscope (after French scientist Francois Arago), theoretically could allow scientists to image objects like black hole "event horizons" and plasma swaps between stars. Although it's just one of 12 proposals selected for Phase One funding in June 2014 by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) program, this novel idea could potentially become a reality. In April, NIAC will select six of the Phase One concepts for Phase Two funding.

What makes the Aragoscope different from conventional (albeit advanced) telescopes like Hubble is its unique design. It would consist of an orbiting space telescope woth an opaque disk in front of it that could be up to a half a mile across. According to the researchers, diffracted light waves from a target star or other object would bend around the edges of this disk and converge in a central point. This light would then be fed into the orbiting telescope and provide high-resolution images.

"Traditionally, space telescopes have essentially been monolithic pieces of glass like the Hubble Space Telescope," Anthony Harness, who is a collaborator on the project, said in a news release. "But the heavier the space telescope, the more expensive the cost of the launch. We have found a way to solve that problem by putting large, lightweight optics into space that offer a much higher resolution and lower cost."

If the Aragoscope were to reach Phase II funding in April, it would put it one step closer to its permanent spot in a geostationary orbit 25,000 miles high that follows Earth's rotation. Hubble better keep an eye out for this new kid on the block.

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