Astrophysicists Plan Revolutionary Survey of Galactic PlaneNASA's Roman Telescope to Map 100 Billion Stars in Milky Way. Credit: scitechdaily.com

The team behind NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has revealed plans for an unparalleled exploration of the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. This groundbreaking survey will delve deeper into this region than ever before, mapping more stars in our galaxy than all previous observations combined.

The survey, which was the top-ranked proposal in a 2021 call for Roman survey ideas, will be developed by the scientific community in preparation for the telescope's scheduled launch in May 2027. As astrophysicist Catherine Zucker, co-author of a white paper outlining the benefits of the survey, explains, "There are countless scientific opportunities that this survey can unlock, from the study of star formation and evolution to the dynamics of the galactic core."

Despite the challenges of designing such an ambitious program, astronomers are excited about the possibilities. "There will be many trade-offs to consider, such as the extent of the coverage and the level of detail in different filters," notes co-author Robert Benjamin, an astronomer at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

While the specifics of the survey are yet to be determined, scientists estimate that a 1,000 square degree area – equivalent to 5,000 full moons – could yield over 100 billion cosmic objects, mainly stars. "This would provide a nearly complete census of all the stars in our galaxy, and could be achieved in just one month," says Roberta Paladini, lead author of the white paper and a senior researcher at Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California. "It would take decades to obtain similar results using the Hubble or James Webb space telescopes. Roman truly has the potential to be a survey machine!"

While smaller telescopes have captured stunning images of other galaxies, the Milky Way's complex structure has proven difficult to study. Its expansive plane covers such a vast area of the sky that thorough observations can take a significant amount of time. Additionally, the presence of dense dust clouds obscures distant starlight, further complicating efforts to understand our own galaxy.

As Zucker points out, "We have a limited understanding of what the other half of the Milky Way looks like beyond the galactic center, despite our comprehensive knowledge of our solar system's immediate surroundings."

Previous surveys, such as NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope, have focused on longer wavelengths of light and revealed some of the star-forming regions on the far side of the galaxy. However, the telescope's limited resolution has prevented a detailed exploration of these areas. "Spitzer laid the foundation for the questions that Roman will be able to answer," explains Benjamin.

With its wide field of view, high-resolution imaging, and the ability to see through dust, Roman is uniquely suited to studying the Milky Way. By observing stars in both optical and infrared wavelengths, astronomers can obtain invaluable information, such as the stars' temperatures, which can unlock a wealth of additional data about their evolution, composition, luminosity, and size.

"We will be able to conduct detailed studies of star formation and the structure of our galaxy in a way that has not been possible for any other galaxy," notes Paladini.

Roman's sharp vision will also enable astronomers to identify individual stars in stellar nurseries on the far side of the galaxy, providing a vast new catalog of stars. This capability surpasses even the precision mapping of the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, which has mapped over 1 billion stars within 10,000 light-years of Earth. Roman, on the other hand, could potentially map up to 100 billion stars as far as 100,000 light-years away or beyond, encompassing the entire extent of our galaxy.

The Galactic Plane Survey is just one of the general astrophysics surveys that Roman will undertake, in addition to its three core community surveys and Coronagraph technology demonstration. At least 25% of Roman's five-year primary mission will be allocated to general astrophysics surveys, allowing astronomers from around the world to propose cutting-edge research and utilize the full potential of Roman's capabilities to conduct groundbreaking science.

Ann Castro
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