{"id":520072,"date":"2026-08-26T05:44:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T19:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=1041093"},"modified":"2026-08-26T05:44:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T19:44:55","slug":"nasa-ames-contributions-to-romans-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=520072","title":{"rendered":"NASA Ames\u2019 Contributions to Roman\u2019s Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>
\n
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a NASA observatory designed to settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Set to launch on Sunday, Aug. 30, NASA\u2019s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will empower astronomers to explore vast regions of the cosmos and settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, dark matter, planets outside our solar system, and the formation and growth of galaxies over cosmic time. Key contributions to Roman\u2019s mission made by researchers at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley will advance Roman\u2019s science using the center\u2019s facilities, expertise, and innovations.<\/p>\n

Tools to predict, remove glare<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roman\u2019s main camera, the Wide Field Instrument, will capture expansive high-resolution pictures of the universe in optical and near-infrared light. These unprecedented images will enable astronomers to decode some of the deepest mysteries of the cosmos.<\/p>\n

Forms of glare that Roman\u2019s camera collects diminish image quality and thereby reduce the ability of astronomers to characterize certain cosmic structures. Innovative software developed by a team at NASA Ames, with collaborators at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and IPAC\/Caltech in Pasadena, California, will improve Roman\u2019s images and optimize observing plans. Called ROSALIA (Roman Sky Analyst for Low Surface Brightness Imaging and Astronomy), the software predicts and removes unwanted light from astronomical images captured by Roman\u2019s Wide Field Instrument.<\/p>\n

Contaminating stray light occurs when photons scatter inside the telescope\u2019s optical system. Resulting light glints can produce deceptive image artifacts that mimic the appearance of real planets or nebulae. The ROSALIA software will allow astronomers to adjust their observation plans to limit glints from contaminating science targets in Roman\u2019s images.<\/p>\n

In addition to bright glints, stray light can also appear as a diffuse background. This form of stray light interferes with observations of the darkest regions of the universe, which is critical to understanding how large structures in the universe were formed.<\/p>\n

Another major contributor to obscuring background light is produced by nature itself: zodiacal light. Zodiacal emission originates from the scattering of sunlight by interplanetary dust particles in our solar system. The ROSALIA software predicts and strips away background contamination, including zodiacal and stray light from images, exposing the faint, diffuse emissions at galaxy edges where cosmic evolutionary histories are hidden.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t<\/img-comparison-slider><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tSimulated, unprocessed<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\tSimulated, processed<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n
Simulated unprocessed image, as it would be captured by the Roman Space Telescope\u2019s Wide Field Instrument, showing two interacting galaxies<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n
\"Simulated<\/figure>
\n
Simulated image, as it would be captured by the Roman Space Telescope\u2019s Wide Field Instrument and then processed using NASA\u2019s Roman Sky Analyst for Low Surface Brightness Imaging and Astronomy tools to remove glare, showing two interacting galaxies. <\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t