Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is preparing to examine the formation and evolution of galaxies through its high-resolution imaging capabilities. The telescope’s upcoming mission, known as RINGS (Roman Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey), aims to investigate galactic “fossils” and enhance our understanding of galaxy evolution.
The RINGS survey seeks to capture detailed images of nearby galaxies, focusing on ancient stellar structures that reveal the history of galaxy formation. These “fossils,” akin to geological imprints on Earth, provide insights into the early stages of galaxy development.
Credit : Bluse Origin
Roman’s high resolution is comparable to that of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, but with a field of view 200 times wider in the infrared spectrum. This makes it particularly suited for large-scale sky surveys, complementing Hubble’s narrower observations.
The telescope will analyse galactic structures such as tidal tails and stellar streams, which can indicate a galaxy’s merger history. By examining these structures, scientists aim to reconstruct the past interactions and formations of galaxies.
RINGS will also focus on ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, which are dominated by dark matter. These galaxies provide a unique opportunity to study dark matter theories due to their minimal normal matter content, potentially offering new insights into this elusive substance.
Roman’s extensive field of view will allow scientists to observe and measure the halos of numerous galaxies, not just the Milky Way and Andromeda. This capability is expected to significantly enhance our understanding of galactic halos and their dark matter content.
Scheduled to launch by May 2027, the Roman Space Telescope is anticipated to transform our comprehension of galaxy formation and evolution. The data collected will provide a broader context for studying the Milky Way and other galaxies, potentially reshaping current astronomical theories.