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Finding exoplanets at the racetrack

Pale Blue Pod

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How to Find Distant Galaxies Using Micro Lensing

We've only found almost 200 planets using this method, but it is something that people use to study like very distant galaxies. Micro lensing gravitational lensing lets us see systems that are further away than we'd be able to detect with other methods. We have no control over stars or black holes passing in front of these systems and conveniently lensing their light towards us. The telescope that will be very good at finding these micro lensing exoplanets hasn't been built yet. It's called the Nancy Grace Roman telescope named after a homophobe from NASA who was responsible for persecuting a lot of queer folks at NASA during the lavender scare.

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