Roman Telescope's Next Steps: Dark Energy and Distant Planets

Now that Roman has safely reached orbit, astronomers worldwide are turning their attention to the science it will produce over the next five to ten years. Roman's defining feature is its extremely wide field of view. That lets it capture more sky in a single image than telescopes like Hubble. The wide view will let scientists survey huge stretches of the universe efficiently.

One of Roman's central missions is investigating dark energy. Dark energy is a mysterious force accelerating the universe's expansion. Scientists have long known galaxies are moving apart, but not fully why. By mapping galaxies across huge areas of sky, Roman could help test competing theories.

Roman will also search for exoplanets, or planets orbiting distant stars. Its wide camera and sensitive instruments are expected to detect thousands of new exoplanets across the galaxy. Some of those worlds might be hard for other telescopes to find. Combined with earlier missions, Roman's data could reveal how common planets like Earth truly are.

Turning raw data into real discoveries will take time. Engineers must finish testing Roman's instruments before regular science begins. Once operating, Roman will generate huge amounts of data for years to come. Scientists worldwide will study that data to learn how our universe began and changes.