[troutman]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Is there any theoretical limit to how accurate an optical telescope could be? We've already reached diminishing returns in terms of what it's practical to build and there will be better ways to get an idea of what these planets are like, but is there anything about the behaviour of light itself that makes it impossible to, say, take an accurate photo of the surface of a planet 39 light years away?

edit: nevermind, found an answer. Still don't exactly understand the answer.

http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q...pes-resolution

A Space Mission to the Gravitational Focus of the Sun

NASA says it could study features the size of Central Park on distant exoplanets by using the sun as a giant gravity lens.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/6...us-of-the-sun/

There are significant challenges in using the sun as a gravitational lens.