Laser-pushed lightsail starship, artwork

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Laser-pushed lightsail starship, artwork

Laser-pushed lightsail starship, artwork. This starships lightsail is 1000 kilometres across. The centre of the Milky Way galaxy is in the background. The starship is sailing away from two points of light at upper right. One is the Sun, while the greenish light near the Sun is a laser. An array of lasers near Mercury is redirected at the edge of the Solar System by a focusing fresnel lens that produces a single powerful coherent beam that can reach a distance of a few light years. This accelerates the starship to about 20 percent of the speed of light. Such a system could carry a cargo of many tons to other star systems

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Media ID 9246961

© RICHARD BIZLEY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Acceleration Astrophysical Astrophysics Beam Dust Lane Dust Lanes Dusty Engineering Galactic Centre Galaxy Glow Glowing Interstellar Laser Milky Way Nebula Nebulae Pushing Sagittarius Sailing Space Flight Spacecraft Spaceflight Star Stars Transport Transportation Traveling Travelling Universe Accelerating Fresnel Lens Pusher Starship

EDITORS COMMENTS
This artwork showcases a Laser-pushed lightsail starship, sailing through the vastness of space. The starship's impressive lightsail spans an incredible 1000 kilometers across, while the backdrop reveals the majestic center of our Milky Way galaxy. As it embarks on its interstellar journey, the starship is propelled away from two sources of light at the upper right corner. The larger source represents our very own Sun, radiating warmth and energy towards this futuristic vessel. Adjacent to it, a mesmerizing greenish glow emanates from a laser beam that serves as a powerful propulsion system for the starship. This laser beam originates near Mercury and is redirected by a focusing fresnel lens located at the edge of our Solar System. With this innovative technology in place, capable of producing coherent light beams reaching distances spanning several light years, the starship can achieve speeds up to 20 percent of the speed of light. Such remarkable acceleration enables this advanced spacecraft to carry substantial cargo loads to other distant star systems. As we gaze upon this extraordinary scene filled with celestial wonders like nebulae and dust lanes scattered throughout Sagittarius, we are reminded of humanity's relentless pursuit of knowledge and exploration beyond Earth's boundaries. This awe-inspiring illustration beautifully captures both scientific ingenuity and artistic imagination in depicting mankind's potential for interstellar travel.

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