Using the Sun to call E.T.

Communication satellites using the sun's gravity to focus radio waves (credit: Claudio Maccone)

A new study suggests that the sun’s gravity could be used to create a giant telescope that would magnify signals, both incoming and outgoing. The study also suggests that stronger signals could be achieved by using relay spacecraft to create a network connected by “radio bridges.”

Claudio Maccone, technical director of the Paris-based International Academy of Astronautics, and author of this new study on the mechanics of the proposed technique, explained, “If we use the sun as a gravitational lens, then we can keep in touch with our own probes even at considerable interstellar distances.”

The study appeared in a recent issue of the journal Acta Astronautica.