The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the Goddard Space Center
NASA has announced a plan to use the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to view our Milky Way in unprecedented detail. Roman’s infrared vision is expected to pierce through the densest part of the galaxy and unveil up to 20 billion stars.
Our Milky Way galaxy is so large that its disk of stars spans more than 100,000 light-years. It is also estimated to contain more than 100 billion stars. But many of these stars are covered in dust. The ESA’s retired Gaia spacecraft only mapped around two billion stars. Gaia observed these stars in visible light. But to get to the denser dust-covered parts, we’ll need something more. That’s where Roman comes in.
Roman is set to launch in May 2027, but we could see an earlier launch as the team could get everything ready as early as fall 2026. Roman has a five-year primary mission. But during the course of its first two years, it will carry out a survey of the Milky Way. This is called the Galactic Plane Survey.
The Galactic Plane Survey will cover about 700 square degrees along the glowing band of the Milky Way. In area, this is comparable to about 3,500 full moons. Roman’s infrared capabilities will enable it to pierce through the dust in these regions to possibly observe up to 20 billion stars. In total, the survey will last 29 days but will be spread across two years.
The survey will reveal never-before-seen details of our Milky Way galaxy. This will help scientists understand more about the stars in the Milky Way, how they form, and how they interact with their surroundings.
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Chibuike Okpara – Tech Writer – 331 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2024
I have always been fascinated by technology and digital devices my entire life and even got addicted to it. I have always marveled at the intricacy of even the simplest digital devices and systems around us. I have been writing and publishing articles online for about 6 years now, just about a year ago, I found myself lost in the marvel of smartphones and laptops we have in our hands every day. I developed a passion for learning about new devices and technologies that come with them and at some point, I asked myself, “Why not get into writing tech articles?” It is useless to say I followed up the idea — it is evident. I am an open-minded individual who derives an infinite amount of joy from researching and discovering new information, I believe there is so much to learn and such a short life to live, so I put my time to good use — learning new things. I am a ‘bookworm’ of the internet and digital devices. When I am not writing, you will find me on my devices still, I do explore and admire the beauty of nature and creatures. I am a fast learner and quickly adapt to changes, always looking forward to new adventures.