00:00Astronomy is about to change forever.
00:03NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is about to launch to space to investigate
00:07some of the biggest mysteries in science, like dark energy and exoplanets, or worlds
00:13beyond our solar system.
00:14So what is this telescope?
00:16Why is it so special?
00:17This massive observatory will live in space and study the cosmos using two main instruments,
00:23the Wide Field Instrument, or WFI, and the Coronagraph Instrument.
00:27Now, WFI is essentially a super powered infrared camera that scientists will be able to use
00:33to look all the way to the edge of the observable universe.
00:36So if there's a far off galaxy or solar system that scientists think is important, Roman will
00:40be able to see it.
00:41With WFI, Roman will be able to take images up to 200 times larger than Hubble and 50 times
00:48larger than the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST.
00:51This is because Roman has a massive 21 foot wide primary mirror.
00:55And with a bigger mirror, it can collect more light and see more, and it's faster too.
01:01In Roman's first five years, it will image over 50 times as much of the sky as Hubble
01:07did in its first 30 years, making Roman about a thousand times faster.
01:12Now, the telescope's other instrument, the Coronagraph Instrument, will be looking at
01:16exoplanets.
01:17It works by blocking out the glare of far off stars.
01:20So, by blocking their light, Roman will be able to see planets orbiting those stars.
01:26Right now, scientists looking to study exoplanets have to rely on indirect observations, like
01:32watching the light of a star dim as planets pass in front.
01:35But this instrument would allow us to directly look at far away planets, investigating things
01:41like the type of planets out there and what's in their atmospheres.
01:45This could be a massive step forward toward finding other planets like Earth.
01:49Now, the Coronagraph is a technology demonstration.
01:52That means that Roman's testing to see how this cutting edge tech works, which will also
01:57lay the groundwork for future observatories to see even more of these alien worlds.
02:02Now, these are just some of Roman's major specs, but what scientists do with these tools
02:07is what's really going to be exciting.
02:09With Roman's capabilities, scientists hope to be able to find answers to what's dark
02:14energy, the mysterious something causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate,
02:18or what's dark matter, the invisible glue holding the universe together.
02:23Or perhaps Roman will light the way for scientists to find other Earth-like worlds.
02:27One thing's for sure, it's going to be amazing.
02:31And while it is clear that Roman's a powerhouse, this doesn't mean that it's replacing Hubble
02:36or JWST, the three will complement one another's unique capabilities, together delivering the
02:42best space data we've ever seen.
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