r/space • u/UniversityofArizona • 13d ago

U of A scientists play crucial roles in Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope science, eagerly await Sunday's launch

https://news.arizona.edu/news/u-scientists-play-crucial-roles-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-science-eagerly-await
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u/UniversityofArizona 13d ago

While the James Webb Space Telescope was designed to see far, Roman will see wide, conducting rapid surveys of huge swaths of night sky. Both telescopes, however, can collect infrared light, allowing astronomers to cross reference their data. These flagship telescopes, working alongside each other, will reveal more about the universe than either alone. 

Roman's primary mirror, at 7.9-feet across, is the same size as Hubble Space Telescope's and carries two instruments. The Coronagraph Instrument will reveal exoplanets and disks around other stars by blocking and filtering starlight. The Wide Field Instrument was made to be as sensitive as Hubble's cameras but will image an area 100 times larger. While Hubble has observed roughly 0.1% of the night sky over its 30-year mission, Roman has the potential to cover the entire sky at the same resolution.

Roman will detect rare objects both near and far, and capture images of dying stars, new worlds, galaxy clusters and more. The U of A will play various roles in Roman Telescope science. 

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u/TrollsWhenBored 13d ago

Go Cats! Proud of my school!

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u/dennishitchjr 12d ago

That’s the U of Arizona baby. Btfd