NCCU Students Ready for Space Exploration with Cutting-Edge Telescope Collaboration!

Journey to the Space: NCCU and the Roman Space Telescope’s Quest to Unveil the Universe

In the field of space science North Carolina Central University students are about to make history as this university collaborated with 14 other universities and agencies who are working on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope which is set to be launched by May 2027. Now the exciting part is that this telescope will help in revealing the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter which make up to 95% of the universe but remain largely unknown. 

This telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman who was NASA’s first chief astronomer and also known as “Mother of Hubble”. The primary objectives of this telescope are to comprehend cosmic architecture, investigate how the cosmos has changed over time, and locate those planets that are outside the solar system using a technique called “gravitational microlensing.” It will quantify dark energy, test the validity of general relativity and investigate the structure of spacetime. Dan Scolnic, a physics professor at Duke University, explained that while dark energy and dark matter are crucial to understanding the universe, they still don’t fully grasp what they are. The Roman telescope will also look into how the universe is expanding by studying supernovae or exploding stars, tracking how the size of the universe changes over time.

According to NCCU physics professor Diane Markoff, the telescope will be able to track burst stars by continuously monitoring the same region. She said that scientists can ascertain the source of light and how long it takes to reach us when the telescope picks up a sizable volume of light coming from a specific direction.

Markoff compared this procedure to taking a reading on a pulsating lightbulb. Through calibration of the detecting device, researchers may determine the source's speed and distance by analyzing a small amount of light gathered over time. The estimated total cost of the project is $3.6 billion. He also mentioned that NCCU students will get the opportunity to collaborate on the project with Duke University staff and students.

Editor’s Note: 
 

North Carolina Central University is proudly going to be a part of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope project, which aims to reveal the hidden mysteries of space. This ambitious project is aimed to begin in May 2027, with NCCU collaborating with 14 other universities. The purpose of this new space telescope is to solve the enigmas surrounding dark energy, dark matter, and the expansion of the universe. The participation of NCCU not only highlights the university's expanding influence in space science but also gives students a special chance to get involved in one of the most fascinating projects in contemporary astronomy. 

With great pleasure, Skoobuzz congratulates North Carolina Central University and its students on their involvement in the ground-breaking Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope project which is aimed to investigate the 95% of the cosmos that is still unknown.