In 1936, Albert Einstein published a calculation showing how the sun can be used as a giant telescope. Although this seems incredible, the idea is quite achievable, and one of the projects based on this concept is located at the third phase of development at the Institute of Advanced Concepts of NASA.
In his article in the journal Science, Einstein wrote: “Once I contacted me R.V. Mandl with a request to publish the results of a small calculation, which I completed at his request.”
According to the general theory of Einstein’s relativity, massive objects in the Universe curb the space-time, changing the path of light. This is not an abstract idea, but a reality that is already used using telescopes such as JWST, for expansion of their capabilities due to light distorted by massive objects on the way to the Earth.
Einstein realized that there is an area in our solar system, where the light passing behind the Sun is focused due to the gravity of our star. This area is located in about 550 astronomical units (A.E.) from the Sun (1 A.E. is equal to the distance between the Earth and the Sun). By placing a telescope in this zone, you can observe the surfaces of exoplanets without the need to create huge cosmic telescopes or their arrays.
Won Russell Eshleman, who was the first to offer a mission to create such a telescope, in wrote: “The gravitational field of the Sun acts as a spherical lens, enhancing the radiation intensity from the remote source along the semi-beadflate line. The spacecraft located at any point in this line can observe, listen and contact on interstellar distances using equipment comparable in size and power with what is used for interplanetary distances.”
Today, gravitational lenses allow you to see incredibly remote objects but are limited by their location and objects that are behind them. Using spacecraft, you can place a telescope on the opposite side of the Sun with a relatively remote object that needs to be observed, significantly increasing the observation distance. The project proposed as part of the third phase of the