Scientists are creating a telescope with the sole purpose of finding potentially habitable planets in the Alpha Centauri system.

Scientists are working on TOLIMAN, the first-ever telescope designed to search for potentially habitable planets exclusively in the Alpha Centauri system.

In the coming years, the first telescope in history will be launched into near-earth orbit, the purpose of which will be exclusively in the search for potentially habitable planets revolving around their Suns exclusively in one stellar system. We are talking about the Alpha Centauri system, which is also the closest neighbor of our Sun.

The telescope and its main purpose

At the moment, scientists are actively working on a telescope with a lens and a diffractive pupil, which, according to the idea of ​​engineers, ultimately will allow them to find minor deviations in the trajectory of the stars and, thus, fix the presence in the system planets.

If you look closely at the image, you will see a simulated image of the Alpha Centauri system so far, and as soon as the TOLIMAN telescope is launched into orbit and starts working, scientists are planning to see something similar in reality.

The special interest in the Alpha Centauri system is caused by a reason. And the point is not only that this is the closest star system to us, but also the fact that there scientists have already discovered one exoplanet and another candidate for this role.

Moreover, the discovered exoplanet is located in the so-called life zone. The planet's orbit is located at such a distance from the star that there may well be water on its surface in liquid form is a key element for the formation of life, which causes the greatest interest in it from outside scientists.

So the telescope's gaze will be directed precisely at this area around the three stars of the system. Most likely, this apparatus will not be able to reliably confirm the existence of liquid water in distant planets, which means that this task will be set for other research vehicles.

In addition, it is on the closest stellar systems that Earth scientists have the greatest chances of both finding and studying the planet's atmosphere, the chemical composition of the surface layer, and also determine the presence (or absence) on its surface biosphere.

It is not known when the telescope will be ready and launched into orbit. But scientists suggest that all of this could happen in the current decade.

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