NASA prepares space telescope capable of monitoring 100 million stars

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NASA is about to release an ultra-powerful telescope to further explore the universe.

We already knew the Hubble Space Telescope which has allowed to capture incredible images of Saturn and its rings. NASA is currently working on an even more advanced telescope, the WFIRST. Thanks to this tool, it will be possible to perfectly image some exoplanets still unknown.

This infrared telescope is becoming one of the most anticipated observing devices for years to come. The European agency is also working on the James Webb Telescope, a giant telescope highly anticipated by European scientists. The WFIRST will have a mission similar to Hubble’s, but with much more optimized observation capabilities. His vast field of vision should make it possible to obtain images of the Universe, as we have never obtained before.

An important innovation for research
This quality of observation should allow scientists to unravel the greatest mysteries of our universe. The most important feature of WFIRST is its ability to capture starlight to observe exoplanets with extreme precision. “When you see an opportunity like this to really open new frontiers in a new area, you can not help but be so excited,” says NASA on its site.

To date, we have detected more than 4000 exoplanets however, it is very difficult to observe them correctly because of poor management of the light of their host star. WFIRST can precisely use this light to bring out the exoplanets correctly.

The Goddard Space Flight Center announces that the WFIRST has just validated its first phases of testing, “this means that the instrument has met all the design, schedule and budget requirements and can now move on to the next phase: construction official “, reads NASA’s website. As soon as it is placed in orbit, WFIRST will be able to monitor about 100 million stars, which would reveal thousands of new exoplanets.