The incredible James Webb Space Telescope has helped astronomers unravel the mysteries of the cosmos by sharing a number of breathtaking images of galaxies.
However, NASA scientists are working hard to build a larger space telescope than James Webb. According to Euronews Next, the “Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope” is set to launch in 2027.
One of the scientists working on the telescope project, who dubbed it “a new age for astronomy,” stated that the telescope would allow for more information and would help answer further astrophysics mysteries.
The telescope would provide a more “panoramic view of the universe and allow for more statistical studies,” according to Marco Sirianni, the project’s Science Operations Development Manager.
What is the distinction between the Roman Telescope, James Webb, and Hubble Space Telescope?
The images released by James Webb and Hubble last year provide detailed insights and views on small parts of space, whereas Roman is said to provide a much broader view of it, creating images 200 times larger than Hubble.
Sirianni stated that it would be used to survey other objects in space.
He claims that the Roman telescope can capture an entire galaxy in a single shot, as opposed to Hubble, which only captures parts of galaxies.
Hubble took at least 400 images of the Andromeda galaxy, which were then stitched together to form a complete picture of the galaxy. Roman would capture the entire scene in a single shot.
While Hubble has provided us with 170 terabytes of data over the past 30 years, James Webb is expected to collect 1,000 terabytes in just five years.
However, Roman would allow scientists to collect 20,000 terabytes of data in just five years, as well as capture billions of galaxies, allowing them to create a 3D model of galaxies.
Learning more about the universe
Scientists are attempting to solve the universe’s hidden mysteries, such as the expansion of the universe, dark matter, dark energy, distances between galaxies, and measurement of distances between galaxies.
Scientists may be able to modify space theories if they gain more insights using modern technological equipment.
Investigation of other solar systems
One of the most important goals of the Roman telescope is to detect other solar systems using gravitational microlensing.
“If two stars align to each other, the one in front will distort and magnify the light of the star behind. And if the star in the foreground has a planet, we’ll see how it affects the light of the star behind it,” Sirianni explained.
He also stated that the coronagraph will provide a “very good” census of how many stars will have exoplanets and the closest stars of these exoplanets, allowing Roman to take images of Jupiter-like planets with image quality corrections.
If it is successful, it will provide a starting point for determining the existence of Earth-like planets in other solar systems.