Rethinking the shape of space telescopes may be the answer to the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing missions to detect alien life today, according to a recent paper published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. “While single-celled life has existed almost as long as the Earth itself, it took roughly three billion years for multicellular life to form. Researchers are most hopeful about Earth-like planets in those systems, where liquid water and solid ground provide a familiar foundation for life. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest built so far, is just 6.5 meters across. “The rectangular telescope could provide a straightforward path toward identifying our sister planet: Earth 2.0.”The paper, “The Case for a Rectangular Format Space Telescope for Finding Exoplanets,” appeared in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences on September 1, 2025.