May 6, 2021
NASA’s Roman space telescope mission – launching sometime in the mid-2020s – is expected to find at least 100,000 new exoplanets orbiting other stars, say astronomers.
Artist’s concept of an exoplanet transiting in front of its star. The upcoming Roman space telescope mission is expected to find at least 100,000 new such transiting worlds. Image via ESA.
Since the 1990s, astronomers have discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets – planets outside our solar system, orbiting other stars. NASA’s upcoming Roman Space Telescope – named for American astronomer Nancy Grace Roman – is one of the next generation of space telescopes that will play a big part in discovering more new worlds. In fact, NASA is expecting Roman, which is scheduled to launch in the mid-2020s, to discover upwards of 100,000 exoplanets, the space agency announced on March 31, 2021.
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James Webb Space Telescope: Inside the high-stakes testing of Hubbleâs £7.2bn successor
After nearly 20 years of development and 16 launch delays, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is almost ready. Set to launch on 31 October 2021, the largest space observatory ever built is set to revolutionise our understanding of the cosmos and help solve some of the Universeâs greatest mysteries.
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It hasnât been an easy journey. First conceived 30 years ago as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, the âNext Generation Telescopeâ as the JWST was first known, has survived threats of cancellation, changes of leadership and numerous postponements. Expected to cost $10bn (£7.2bn approx), the JWST (named after NASAâs second administrator James E Webb) is the sixth most expensive space mission of all time.
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Credits: NASA/Chris Gunn
Media will have the opportunity to see the iconic golden mirror of NASAs James Webb Space Telescope open for the last time on Earth during a virtual briefing Tuesday, May 11, at 1 p.m. EDT (10 a.m. PDT). Officials from NASA and Northrop Grumman will discuss the significance of the mirrors deployment and next steps for the mission as it prepares for launch, which is targeted for Oct. 31. The event will air live via the following link:
The worlds largest and most powerful space telescope, Webb opened its iconic primary mirror wings in May as part of the telescopes final testing regimen at Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California. The conclusion of this test represents an important milestone as Webb marches toward launch.
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10 Intriguing Kepler Space Telescope Discoveries
The Kepler space telescope was launched in March 2009 to identify planets outside our galaxy that match the size of Earth. When two of the four “reaction wheels” that maintain the telescope’s precise angling in space stopped working properly in 2013, many people thought the telescope’s mission was over.
Despite the setback, the telescope is working again. Among other intriguing finds, it has discovered another 1,000 exoplanets, which are planets that orbit a star other than our Sun.
10The Exoplanet With The Longest Year
Newly Discovered Exoplanet Has Longest Known Year
If you feel that your birthday doesn’t come around quickly enough, be thankful that you don’t live on Kepler-421b. Of all the exoplanets that have been discovered so far, Kepler-421b has the longest year on record.