Location: Dempster Hall, Room 125
Time: 6-7:15 PM
Guest Speaker: Dr. Samantha Hasler, Space Telescope Science Institute, Maryland

How do we find planets orbiting distant stars, and what does it take to see them directly? NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) is designed to transform our view of the universe, surveying vast regions of the sky to investigate some of astronomy's biggest questions.

In this talk, we will explore Roman's mission, its journey into space, and the discoveries it could enable. We will take a close look at Roman's Coronagraph Instrument, an innovative camera designed to block the blinding glare of distant stars to reveal the faint light of orbiting planets.

By studying this light, astronomers can begin to uncover clues about the properties and atmospheres of worlds beyond our Solar System. Roman's Coronagraph will pave the way for future telescopes that may one day image Earth-like planets and search for signs of life.

For the first time, Roman is opening a new window into distant worlds similar to those in our own Solar System, and bringing us closer to answering one of humanity's oldest questions: Are we alone?