NASA’s upcoming space telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, is set to launch in May 2027. This telescope will provide astronomers with an unprecedented view of the center of the Milky Way, allowing them to search for various objects such as stars, planets, icy bodies, and even isolated black holes. By monitoring millions of stars and looking for flickering patterns, Roman will be able to identify celestial bodies passing between its vantage point and these stars. Additionally, Roman’s long-term monitoring of the sky will contribute to the study of time-domain astronomy, offering insights into how the universe evolves over time.
One of Roman’s key missions will be the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey, which will employ the telescope’s infrared vision to peer through dust and gas clouds that typically obstruct our view of the central bulge of the Milky Way. Infrared light is useful for this purpose as it can penetrate through the clouds, unlike visible light, which gets absorbed. Roman’s senior project scientist, Julie McEnery, describes the telescope as an “incredible discovery machine,” capable of providing a wealth of new information about the cosmos.
In addition to its surveying capabilities, Roman will leverage a phenomenon called microlensing, predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Microlensing occurs when massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime, causing light passing through this warp to bend. Roman will use this effect to hunt for microlensing events caused by planets passing in front of background stars, resulting in temporary increases in brightness. Through the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey, Roman will capture images of this central region every 15 minutes for two months, repeating this process six times over its five-year primary mission.
The mission of Roman extends beyond the search for exoplanets. Through its observations, astronomers hope to discover brown dwarfs, failed stars that lack sufficient mass for nuclear fusion to occur. Additionally, Roman will play a crucial role in locating neutron stars, which are remnants of massive stars, as well as investigating stellar mass black holes, which are more elusive due to their ability to trap light.
Furthermore, Roman will enable astronomers to conduct stellar seismology on approximately one million giant stars. By analyzing changes in brightness as sound waves travel through these stars, scientists can learn more about their internal structures, ages, and other characteristics.
Roman’s applications are not limited to distant celestial objects. It will also observe icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt, located at the edge of our solar system beyond Neptune. By examining the reflection of sunlight and the blocking of background stars, the telescope will contribute to our understanding of these icy bodies.
With its diverse range of capabilities, the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope promises to revolutionize our knowledge of the Milky Way and the ever-changing cosmos. Through its launch in 2027, NASA’s Roman telescope will unlock a treasure trove of scientific discoveries.
