Back to TLA

Lunar Coronagraph

Case ID:

UA25-112

Invention:

This technology is a sensing system designed to detect and image objects in space near the moon, which are difficult to image with standard telescopes due to the moon’s brightness. This system is a dedicated coronagraph where the straylight from the Moon is significantly suppressed enabling us to track cislunar objects very close to the Moon. Traditionally, coronagraphs have been used to study the Sun’s atmosphere, the solar corona, and detect exoplanets around stars. This invention adapts the coronagraph technology for near-lunar applications, where the Moon’s brightness often saturates conventional imaging systems. By employing advanced optical techniques, the system suppresses scattered light, enabling high-contrast imaging of dim objects. The current design has been tested in a terrestrial environment but is capable of being adapted to a space-based system.

Background:
The detection and imaging of objects in space in close proximity to bright celestial bodies can be challenging. The oversaturation of light from celestial bodies makes fainter objects hard to image with a standard astronomical telescope. The Moon’s brightness, combined with the limited dynamic range of imaging sensors, often leads to detector saturation, making it difficult to resolve faint objects such as satellites orbiting its vicinity. Coronagraphs are designed to solve this problem. They are optical systems that can attach to telescopes to block out celestial bodies and allow for the imaging of faint objects nearby. Solar coronagraphs have been developed to allow the imaging of objects in the region of space around the outer atmosphere of the Sun. However, this coronagraph approach has not yet been widely applied to other solar system bodies. This proposed lunar coronagraph is designed to make the near-Lunar imaging of small, low radiance objects possible.

Applications: