Roman Telescope has been designed to study the vibrational patterns of millions of stars.
Roman Telescope may reveal the largest-ever sample of red giant star vibrations
Photo Credit: NASA
NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is already surprising scientists with its expected capabilities, even before its launch, scheduled between late 2026 and mid-2027. New research reveals that Roman will be capable of detecting seismic waves in more than 300,000 red giant stars — many more than originally anticipated. These ripples crawl along the skins of ageing stars, providing readings on their mass, size, and age. Scientists say this bonus ability could transform our understanding of exoplanets and the history of the Milky Way's oldest region.
According to a recent assessment published in The Astrophysical Journal, Roman's design makes this possible without any additional effort from the telescope. Experts noted that its wide-field view and regular 12-minute observing cycle for the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey will naturally capture the subtle brightness changes caused by stellar oscillations. Researchers described these findings as an example of Roman delivering “richer data than originally expected.”
The telescope is designed to study the vibrational patterns of millions of stars, up to and including how previously known exoplanets whistle into their parent star. This asteroseismic information allows astronomers to learn about planet-hosting stars and whether their planets may survive as their hosts puff up into red giants.
Researchers discovered that Roman can detect oscillations in up to 648,000 red giants, creating the largest asteroseismic sample yet and helping refine models of how planetary systems evolve as their stars age.
Experts added that Roman's data may also reveal surprising populations of stars hidden deep within the galaxy's dusty centre, opening new windows into its formation and evolution.
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