Distant ‘Earths’ will only be seen from space

In the hunt for planets orbiting distant stars, astronomers are continuing to push ground-based technology, hoping to provide existing and future space telescopes with lists of promising targets. About 170 extrasolar planets have been found so far, but direct detection remains extremely difficult. Isolating light reflected towards the Earth from the exoplanet itself would give astronomers valuable information about what that world was like.

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