PLUS: Is expensive bottled water actually better for you?
Astronomers are about to get a new telescope to play with. And while they have some ideas of how to use it and what they’ll find, the real exciting stuff will only become apparent when it’s in orbit.
We’re talking about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will see its launch window open on Sunday. You can think of it as a companion to the James Webb Space Telescope, which has changed astronomers’ understanding of the cosmos. But while Webb allows us to peer deep into the universe, Roman will give us a wide view. Or put another way, if Webb is like a zoom lens that’s great for capturing a touchdown, Roman is a wide angle one that’s excellent for getting the whole field.
The telescope will help map expansive swaths of space to develop a comprehensive picture of galaxies and dark matter, helping scientists understand how the universe’s largest formations change over time. Researchers also plan to use it to discover an estimated 200,000 exoplanets—a staggering increase from the 6,300 or so that have been documented to date.
The list goes on about all the ways in which astronomers are going to use the space telescope. But with such a powerful instrument, there are likely surprises in store. Webb, for example, has captured unexpected little red dots that may be black hole stars—or some other cosmic enigma.
“The most exciting science from Roman,” says Julie McEnery, NASA’s senior project scientist for the space telescope, “may well be something that we can't even imagine now.”
We’ll have more on Roman later this week as the launch window nears. And because this week is a cornucopia of cool things happening in space, we’ll also be keeping an eye on this week’s lunar eclipse.
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By Jay Bennett
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to discover as many as 200,000 new planets and reveal details about the elusive nature of dark matter and dark energy.
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