Astronomers directly image exoplanet glows

Space
Astronomers directly image exoplanet glows

Astronomers use high-contrast imaging to directly capture the faint glow of exoplanets, piercing through their host stars' blinding light to reveal secrets of distant worlds and their atmospheres.

Imagine seeing a planet orbiting a distant star! High-contrast imaging makes this possible, allowing astronomers to directly capture the faint glow of exoplanets. This technique uses special tools to block out the host star's blinding light, which can be a billion times brighter than its planet.

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