Taking advantage of the Sun to transmit video between stars

Future astronauts are capable of transmitting video between stars thanks to the gravity of the Sun.

Astronomer Michael Hippke in a study proposed using the Sun's gravitational force to transmit interstellar video, with long distances from Earth to the Alpha Centauri star system four light years away. , Mother Nature Network on July 1 reported.

Hippke calculated that people need to place a one-meter-diameter lens at a point about 90 billion kilometers from the Sun, the location of the signal relay with maximum efficiency thanks to the gravitational lens effect predicted by Albert Einstein. Space is bent around a large object, like the Sun, that can amplify signals.

The gravity of the Sun can be used to amplify signals in the universe.(Artwork: Reuters).

If installed on Earth, a device with the same strong signaling capability needs an area with a diameter of about 53km, greater than New York City, USA.

This method does not require new technical development but encounters obstacles at a distance of 90 billion km from the Sun. The farthest distance a spacecraft ever flew from Earth was 20.8 billion km. This record belongs to Voyager 1 spacecraft, achieved after 40 years of flying. At closer distances, any signal amplification is blocked by the Sun.

Slava Turyshev, a physicist at NASA's Propulsion Engine Laboratory, argued that Hippke's plan, despite many challenges, was not impossible."This is easier to implement than installing a Hubble space telescope , " Hippke said.

This technical development will play an important role in building a signaling system of future interstellar space exploration missions. Without signal amplification, people will have to install giant telescopes on Earth and launch large ships to carry huge amounts of energy.