Following earlier proposals for optical stellar interferometer concepts in space and on the Moon, the improved ‘hypertelescope’ version capable of direct high-resolution imaging with a high limiting magnitude became tested on Earth, proposed for space, and is now also proposed for the Moon. Many small mirrors can be dilutely arrayed in a lunar impact crater spanning 10–25 km. And a larger version, modified for a flat lunar site and spanning up to several hundred kilometres can be built later if needed for a higher resolution and limiting magnitude. Even larger versions, at the scale of many thousand kilometres, also appear feasible in space at some stage, in the form of a controlled flotilla of mirrors. Among the varied science targets considered with the imaging resolution expected, reaching 100 nano-arcseconds on the Moon, are: (a) the early detection and resolved imaging of Near Earth Objects, and their monitoring for eventual collision avoidance by orbital deflection; (b) multi-pixel imaging of exoplanets as part of the search for exolife by mapping local seasonal spectral variations; (c) the physics of neutron stars and black holes at the galactic centre and in other Active Galactic Nuclei; and (d) distant galaxies of cosmological interest. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Astronomy from the Moon: the next decades’.

中文翻译：

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用于高分辨率直接成像的月球光学干涉测量和超望远镜

继早期在太空和月球上提出光学恒星干涉仪概念之后，改进的“超望远镜”版本能够以高极限星等直接高分辨率成像，在地球上进行了测试，提议用于太空，现在也提议用于月球. 许多小镜子可以稀释排列在一个跨越 10-25 公里的月球撞击坑中。如果需要更高的分辨率和限制星等，可以稍后建造更大的版本，针对平坦的月球站点进行修改并跨越数百公里。甚至更大的版本，在数千公里的范围内，在某个阶段也以受控的镜子舰队的形式出现在太空中。在考虑到预期成像分辨率的各种科学目标中，在月球上达到 100 纳弧秒，包括：(a) 近地天体的早期探测和分辨成像，以及通过轨道偏转对最终避免碰撞的监测；(b) 系外行星的多像素成像，作为通过绘制局部季节性光谱变化来寻找系外生命的一部分；(c) 星系中心和其他活动星系核中的中子星和黑洞的物理学；(d) 具有宇宙学意义的遥远星系。这篇文章是讨论会问题“月球天文学：未来几十年”的一部分。(c) 星系中心和其他活动星系核中的中子星和黑洞的物理学；(d) 具有宇宙学意义的遥远星系。这篇文章是讨论会问题“月球天文学：未来几十年”的一部分。(c) 星系中心和其他活动星系核中的中子星和黑洞的物理学；(d) 具有宇宙学意义的遥远星系。这篇文章是讨论会问题“月球天文学：未来几十年”的一部分。