THE discovery of a planet like Earth orbiting another sun would be an extraordinary event. But it could happen in our lifetime if we can make telescopes that are precise and sensitive enough.
Bigger telescopes, however, cost a fortune. An 8-metre optical telescope costs in the region of $100 million and the price rises steeply with every small increase in diameter. There is little more to be gained by improving detectors – modern CCDs are already more than 90 per cent efficient. What we need is either a way to make bigger telescopes cheaper, or a better site from which…
