NASA Proposes Optical VLBI Technique to Image Surface Features of Exoplanets

NASA researcher Paul Stankus of Brookhaven Science Associates is working toward capturing visible-light images of Earth-like exoplanets orbiting nearby stars. The project aims to resolve actual surface features — such as continents — on distant worlds, a capability far beyond current technology. The approach involves two key innovations, the first being a new type of nulling interferometer called 'dynamic hierarchical nulling,' which combines multiple telescope inputs to suppress overwhelming starlight. The second stage applies optical Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) principles to achieve the extreme resolution needed for exoplanet surface mapping. If successful, the technique could mark a landmark advance in humanity's ability to directly study potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system.