NASA seems to be developing a next-gen space telescope that will hunt for thousands of exploding stars called supernovae across the universe. Scientists will then use these observations to answer the questions about the cosmos that have been around for years. This new telescope will help them unravel the mysteries of the universe’s origin.
Previously called the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, it now has a new moniker — Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. It gets its new name after the space agency’s first Chief of Astronomy. The telescope’s supernova survey will provide measurements of the universe’s expansion rate, and might also help find dark matter, which can only be detected by its gravitational pull.
In search of dark energy
One of the primary goals of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope includes using supernovae to understand the nature of dark energy – the unexplained cosmic pressure that’s believed to be behind the universe’s expansion, NASA said.
“Dark energy makes up the majority of the cosmos, but we don’t actually know what it is,” said Jason Rhodes, a senior research scientist at NASA’s JPL. “By narrowing down possible explanations, Roman could revolutionise our understanding of the universe — and dark energy is just one of the many topics the mission will explore!”
Studying the universe’s expansion
The new space observatory will leverage several methods to detect dark energy such as surveying the cosmos for exploding stars called supernovae. The scientists will also use the telescope to study the light of these exploding stars to understand the speed at which they are moving away from the Earth.
By comparing the readings at different distances, they will determine the cosmic expansion rate over time. This will also help them understand whether dark energy has changed throughout the history of the universe.
The space telescope will pack an infrared vision with a bug field of view, and high-end sensitivity, allowing it to extend the search of supernovae, NASA said. The mission will observe dark energy’s influence over universe history. This new study will help astronomers pull the curtain on the dark energy puzzle.
