Prepare for an extraordinary journey as NASA prepares to launch the groundbreaking Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This powerful telescope is set to capture unprecedented images of the universe at a young age. Scientists call this time the “cosmic dawn.” At the cosmic dawn, the first stars and galaxies began to form.
The universe began 13.8 billion years ago as a hot, dense space filled with fast-moving particles like protons and electrons. The universe expanded, gradually cooling down and facilitating the combination of protons and electrons to create neutral atoms. Most of these formed atoms were hydrogen, with some helium.
The early universe was like a foggy place where light couldn’t travel far due to neutral atoms, known as the “cosmic dark ages.” A significant event occurred between 380,000 years and 200 million years after the Big Bang. The fog in the universe started to lift as neutral atoms broke apart, allowing light to travel farther. This period is known as the “cosmic dawn.”
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will help scientists understand this significant era. The telescope provides a large, sharp infrared view. It will observe space to see the first stars and galaxies and understand the universe’s transition from foggy to clear.
The Roman Space Telescope aims to uncover the cause of the fog lifting. Scientists have two main theories: early galaxies and first black holes. The telescope will investigate both possibilities.
The telescope’s mission includes seeking out the key elements of cosmic structures, particularly galaxy clusters—these clusters are formed from groups of galaxies bound together by gravity. Scientists can learn more about how the universe evolved by studying these clusters.
The Roman Space Telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, who was NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and played a key role in making the Hubble Space Telescope a reality. The Roman Space Telescope will continue her legacy by exploring the universe.
The Roman Space Telescope teams up with other advanced telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope, to broaden our cosmic vision and uncover the mysteries of the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope offers a narrower but deeper view, enabling scientists to better understand the cosmic dawn by combining data from both telescopes.
The Roman Space Telescope will use supercomputers to create millions of simulated images, helping scientists plan their observations.
The Roman Space Telescope is set to launch by 2027. It will orbit the Earth and look deep into space. The data it gathers will enable scientists to tackle profound questions about the universe. They aim to gain insight into the formation of the first stars and galaxies. They also want to understand how the universe became the place we see today.
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