Plato in space (artist impression)

Artist's impression of Plato, the European Space Agency's mission to discover Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars.

The spacecraft is equipped with 26 ultrasensitive cameras designed to capture the tiniest variations in the intensity of a star’s light. When planets pass in front of their host stars, they dim the starlight we receive. By capturing and analysing this dimming effect, Plato can spot new exoplanets.

The mission’s focus is to discover planets that circle Sun-like stars in their habitable zones – the ‘goldilocks’ region, where the temperature is just right for liquid water to exist. These planets take several months to complete an orbit because of their location – not too close to, but not too far from their host stars. To capture them, Plato’s 26 eyes will stare at the same region of the sky continuously for a minimum of two years, during a mission that is planned to last at least four years.

This technique will also enable Plato to study ‘starquakes’, which are encoded in subtle changes of a star’s brightness, and to provide scientists with unique insights into the interiors and ages of stars.

[Image description: The artist impression shows a mostly black spacecraft against a black background specked by tiny white dots (stars). The spacecraft has a boxy shape; its front features the tubes of 26 cylindrical cameras, their lenses reflecting some of the stars. On top of the spacecraft, its solar panels extend outwards like a pair of wings. They are shiny and also reflect many stars.]