Illustration of the Roman Space Telescope. (Credit: NASA)
Set to launch on August 30, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will begin a mission to capture sweeping views of the universe on a scale never before possible, studying billions of stars, distant galaxies, and worlds beyond our solar system. Decades of University of Hawaiʻi innovation are set to launch with it.
“Roman is going to completely transform our view of our home galaxy, the Milky Way,” said Dan Huber, an astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at UH Mānoa who will watch the launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida alongside several IfA colleagues.
Simulation of galaxies and the cosmic web Roman will study. (Credit: NASA)
UH’s influence on the mission stretches from the telescope’s technology to the science it will produce. Technology developed by IfA researchers sits at the heart of Roman’s massive camera. UH astronomers helped shape how the telescope will study the Milky Way, are building tools to turn its images into usable science, and will lead projects exploring exploding stars, mysterious dimming stars, and the expansion of the universe.
This work builds on the international reputation of the IfA, one of the world’s premier astronomy programs. UH researchers have helped advance astronomy from Hawaiʻi for decades, including developing technology used on Maunakea, where astronomical research has consistently ranked among the world’s most scientifically influential.
Mapping the Milky Way
Roman’s mirror is the same size as that of its famous predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, but its huge camera has a field of view 100 times larger. Its infrared vision will allow astronomers to peer through dust and survey huge areas of the sky much more efficiently.
The telescope is more than 42 feet long and 14 feet wide. (Credit: NASA)
Huber co-chaired the committee that helped define one of Roman’s three major surveys. Roman is expected to image more than 20 billion stars, providing an unprecedented look at the structure and history of the Milky Way. Huber will use tiny changes in stars’ brightness, known as “starquakes,” to help determine the masses and ages of stars near the center of our galaxy and uncover clues about how it formed.
UH eyes the universe
From left, UH IfA researchers Cameron Pfeffer and Chris Ashall.
Five UH-led research programs were selected in the mission’s first highly competitive round, bringing more than $1 million to UH researchers.
Two are led by Institute for Astronomy graduate students Cameron Pfeffer and Willem Hoogendam. Both will study supernovae—exploding stars used to measure vast distances across the universe.
“These students competed directly with senior researchers around the world and are among the few graduate students selected globally to lead Roman science programs,” said IfA astronomer Chris Ashall, a co-principal investigator on both student projects.
UH Mānoa physicist David Rubin is also helping build core software that will turn Roman’s raw supernova images into precise measurements of the universe’s expansion.
Earth Sciences Professor Eric Gaidos will lead another UH program searching Roman data for rare stars that mysteriously fade for months at a time. Astronomers think some of these events happen when clouds of dust pass in front of aging stars, possibly revealing dramatic events in their planetary systems.
UH Institute for Astronomy researcher Kartheik Iyer will lead a Roman science program examining how galaxies form and evolve.
“Looking at the Milky Way in the context of large populations of galaxies allows us to understand exactly how our own galaxy is unique,” said Iyer, who recently joined IfA as an assistant professor. “That gives us perspective on how systems like our solar system and Earth fit into the larger landscape of the universe.”
Hawaiʻi technology in space
Cassiopeia A, the glowing remains of a supernova explosion. (Credit: NASA)
UH’s connection to Roman began decades before launch.
Roman’s wide-field camera contains 18 advanced infrared sensors descended from HAWAII detector technology developed by IfA researchers led by Klaus Hodapp and the late Don Hall. Early versions were tested on the UH 2.2-meter telescope on Maunakea in the 1990s.
The technology later reached the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. Roman’s 300-million-pixel camera represents its most advanced generation yet.
“It’s exciting to see UH contributing to Roman’s supernova cosmology at every level, from that foundational pipeline to the individual science programs it will support,” Rubin said.