Pictures from extrasolar planets

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aerogi

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Now and then scientists discover planets around other stars, various techniques are used. But it are always indirect proof. What would it take to actually photograph such a planet? Is it humanly ever possible to make a telescope on earth (or at the moon or whatever) to photograph earth sized planets, in a reasonable resolution that we can see continents, oceans? I am not talking about seeing alien footprints on a planet, just to have visually an idea of what such a planet look like. A resolution similar like the best Uranus pictures we get from Hubble, or how we see Mars through amateur telescopes. <br /><br />How big would such a mirror need to be? Or is it just impossible to do that?
 
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summoner

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Try looking at this link<br /><br />I'd imagine that the TPF on a larger scale could be build to image other planets. It'll be awhile though. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:271px;background-color:#FFF;border:1pxsolid#999"><tr><td colspan="2"><div style="height:35px"><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/htmlSticker1/language/www/US/MT/Three_Forks.gif" alt="" height="35" width="271" style="border:0px" /></div>
 
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qso1

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No telescope presently in operation or planned will get you an extrasolar planet image comparable to Hubble images of Uranus. The most that can be expected is an image of a few pixels. But even that will be major astronomical news and if an earthlike world can be detected, there may be just enough reflected light to do a spectral analysis on. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>
 
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alokmohan

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Has a brown dwarf been photographed recently?Along with extrasolar planet.
 
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qso1

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The dwarf was imaged but the extra-solar planet was not. The glare, even from a brwon dwarf would make imaging an exoplanet nearly impossible if the planet is pretty close to either star. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>
 
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