The dream of finding life on an alien Earth-like world is hampered by a number of technical challenges. Not the least of which is that the Earth is dwarfed by the size and brightness of the sun. We might be able to discover evidence of life by studying the molecular spectra of a planet’s atmosphere as it passes in front of the star, but those results might be inconclusive. The way to be certain is to observe the planet directly, but that would take a space telescope with a mirror 3–4 times that of Webb.
NASA to test SpaceXs Starshield in pilot program
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