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Lunar or space-based hypertelescope for direct high-resolution imaging

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Abstract

Following the testing of a pathfinder hypertelescope in the southern Alps, versions usable on the Moon or in space are proposed. The large resolution gain expected for direct imaging in a narrow “Direct Imaging Field”, with a high limiting magnitude, is of interest for many astrophysical targets and for searching for exolife on nearby exoplanets. The much larger field-of-view obtainable with multi-field focal optics, for full-sky coverage in a few days of scanning, is suitable for searching, detecting, and tracking Potentially Hazardous Asteroids with a cluster of hypertelescopes.

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Acknowledgments

Many persons, including amateur astronomers and other citizen scientists, have contributed to hypertelescope research since its beginnings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Collège de France, Paris, France

    Antoine Labeyrie

  2. Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Nice, France

    Denis Mourard

  3. Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Meudon, France

    Jean Schneider

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  1. Antoine Labeyrie
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  2. Denis Mourard
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  3. Jean Schneider
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Correspondence to Antoine Labeyrie.

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Labeyrie, A., Mourard, D. & Schneider, J. Lunar or space-based hypertelescope for direct high-resolution imaging. Exp Astron 51, 1003–1011 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-021-09747-3

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