NASA's Roman Space Telescope to Search Milky Way's Bulge for Rocky Exoplanets
According to a report by Scientific American, the upcoming Roman Space Telescope will dedicate more than a quarter of its observing time to the galaxy's dense central region in search of small, rocky worlds.
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to devote more than a quarter of its mission time to observing the Milky Way's bulge, a densely packed region at the center of the galaxy, according to a report published by Scientific American.
The report describes the bulge as a star-packed central area of the galaxy that scientists believe may contain a large number of small, rocky exoplanets.
Scientific American's report suggests that the telescope's approach to detecting these planets differs from methods used by some other exoplanet-hunting missions, though the outlet's headline notes the mission could find "alien Earths" through means distinct from commonly expected detection techniques.
Further details about the telescope's specific detection methodology, launch timeline, and additional mission objectives were not included in the available excerpt from the source report.
Sources
- NASA’s Roman Space Telescope could find alien Earths—but not like you think — Scientific American
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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