Instrumentation
Coronagraph
An instrument that blocks the overwhelming light of a star so the far fainter objects beside it — a planet, a disc, the solar corona — can be seen. First built by Bernard Lyot to study the Sun, it is now central to directly imaging exoplanets; SPHERE on the VLT is a modern example.
Highlights
- ›Hiding a star's glare to reveal what orbits it
Facilities, methods & instruments
Used across the frontier
Knowledge connections
- Associated withDirect Imaging
- Associated withSPHERE
- Associated withStarshade
- Associated withStarshade
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- ESOEuropean Southern Observatory
Southern-hemisphere observatory data and imagery (VLT, ALMA partner).