Space Minute PSA Series #10: CID Camera
Where are there Earth-like planets in our universe?
To answer that question, one of the most important in all of astrophysics, we of course have to be able to see these so-called exoplanets. Yet when they are in close proximity to a super-bright host star, the dimmer planets are very hard to see through most regular telescopes.
But a study led by one Florida Institute of Technology astrophysicist has spotlighted one potential solution. The study found that a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment called a charge injection device, or CID, has the ability to capture light from objects tens of millions of times fainter than another object in the same picture.
The camera-like device is now aboard the International Space Station for testing.
And expectations are that it may eventually be deployed on a space telescope, where it can peer deeply into galaxies and reveal…who knows?
Captain Winston Scott is a retired U.S. Navy fighter pilot and astronaut who flew on two space shuttle missions and walked in space three times. He’s now an administrator and faculty member at the Florida Institute of Technology. More information on Space Minutes at wfit.org.
