Stars in other stellar systems which are similar to our own Sun are not likely to be dimmed, as seen from Earth, by stellar dust surrounding them.
Astronomers calculated the quantity of dust surrounding sun-like stars, and found the material would be too sparse to block observations made from Earth. This means that images taken of these stellar systems are likely to be clear, allowing scientists to clearly make out fine detail.
"Dust is a double-edged sword when it comes to imaging distant planets. The presence of dust is a signpost for the planet formation process, but too much dust can block our view," Bertrand Mennesson of Jet Propulsion Laboratory said.
Astronomers at the Keck Observatory used advanced statistical analysis to clean the optical signals recorded from the distant stars.
The Keck Interferometer uses a pair of telescopes on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, combining observations to view targets with the same amount of detail possible with much larger instruments. Astronomers examined 50 stars between 2008 and 2011, using the pair of networked observatories. The interferometer was designed to study this dust, in order to study possible planetary formation in the alien systems.
Interferometry can also be used to block light from stars on images, allowing astronomers the opportunity to get a better view of planets and dust surrounding alien suns. These smaller objects, seen solely in reflected light, are lost in the glare from their stellar companion(s), making them impossible to image until recently. The first images of exoplanets now being produced show large worlds, located far from their sun. The new techniques developed at Keck could assist astronomers in their quest to image Earth-like planets in the habitable zone around their stars.
"This is good news for future space missions wanting to take detailed pictures of planets like Earth and seek out possible signs of life," Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced.
Astronomers are carefully examining stellar dust around distant stars, in an effort to develop new methods of imaging Earth-sized planets in alien solar systems. They are seeking to understand which stars possess the greatest amounts of dust, and the amount of material in the habitable zones of the stellar systems.
Young stellar systems can be rich with dust, forming proto-planets which collide, spreading additional dust. In most stellar families, the dust cools, but some the material remains warm in a fraction of developing solar systems.
"The outer belt is somehow feeding material into the inner warm belt. This transport of material could be accomplished as dust smoothly flows inward, or there could be larger cometary bodies thrown directly into the inner system," Geoff Bryden from JPL, stated in a press release.
The Keck Observatory was a NASA-directed project, which completed its initial science mission in 2012.
Details of the study of dust surrounding alien sun-like stars will be published online in the Astrophysical Journal on December 8.
