I-Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (eyaziwa ngokuba yiRoman Telescope) kulindeleke ukuba ithunyelwe esibhakabhakeni ngomhla wama-30 ku-Agasti 2026. Iza kufakwa kwaye isebenze ukusuka kwi-quasi-halo orbit ejikeleze indawo yesibini yeSun-Earth Lagrange (L2) kwindawo esecaleni kweJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST) kumgama we-1.5 yezigidi zeekhilomitha ukusuka eMhlabeni. Izinikele ekufundeni izinto ezimnyama, amandla amnyama, kunye neeplanethi ezingaphandle, iRoman Telescope iza kwenza uphando olukhulu lweegalaksi kunye neegalaksi ezingaphezulu kwebhiliyoni ezibonisa ukusasazwa kunye nokuguquka kwezinto kunye nokulinganisa imbali yokwanda kwendalo. Oku kuya kunika umbono malunga nemiphumo yezinto ezimnyama kunye namandla amnyama kwiimilo kunye nokusasazwa kweegalaksi kunye neegalaksi kwindalo iphela. Iya kubona i-supernovae ekude ye-Type Ia, esebenza njengeemkhondo zokwanda okukhawulezileyo kwendalo iphela ukuchaza amandla amnyama. Ngokusebenzisa ii-microlensing, imifanekiso ethe ngqo, kunye nothutho, uRoman uza kukhangela aze afunde ii-exoplanets kwaye kulindeleke ukuba atyhile ii-exoplanets ezingaphezu kwe-100,000 njengoko zithutha iinkwenkwezi zazo. URoman uza kufota imifanekiso emikhulu kwaye uza kubonelela ngombono omkhulu, ngelixa uJames Webb Telescope esenza uphononongo olunamandla ebona ixesha elide ngesisombululo esiphezulu. Zikunye zinokuba luncedo olukhulu kwizifundo zeenkwenkwezi.
Izidalwa zasezulwini (ezifana neenkwenkwezi, iiplanethi kunye neenyanga) kunye nokuhamba kwazo rhoqo njengoko kubonakala esibhakabhakeni sasebusuku bekusoloko kunomdla kwiingqondo zabantu ukususela kwixesha langaphambi kobukho. Ukujonga izikhundla kunye neepatheni zokuhamba kweenkwenkwezi esibhakabhakeni ebusuku bekusoloko kusetyenziswa ekufumaneni ulwalathiso kunye nokuhamba ngexesha lohambo. Ukuveliswa kweteleskopu - isixhobo sokujonga izinto ezikude ngokukhupha kwazo, ukufunxa okanye ukubonakalisa imitha ye-electromagnetic - ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane ye-17 kwaba yimbali ebalulekileyo njengoko kwanceda ekoyiseni imida yokujonga ngamehlo kwaye kwenza ukuba ukujonga okuneenkcukacha kweenkwenkwezi kube nokwenzeka. Iiteleskopu ze-optical zazilawula intsimi ekuqaleni, nangona kunjalo, kungekudala iiteleskopu zerediyo kunye neeteleskopu zelanga zafumana ukusetyenziswa kwicandelo elivela ngokukhawuleza leenkwenkwezi. Kungekudala, kwafunyaniswa ukuba ukujonga kweenkwenkwezi okwenziwe ziiteleskopu ezisekwe eMhlabeni kwaphazamiseka ngenxa yokuphazamiseka emoyeni woMhlaba. Esinye isisombululo esinokwenzeka yayikukubeka iiteleskopu esibhakabhakeni kuba iiteleskopu ezisekwe esibhakabhakeni zibonelela ngeenzuzo ngokubhekiselele kwimifanekiso ecacileyo, ukufikelela kwi-spectrum ebanzi kunye nokubonakala kwendawo nzulu xa kuthelekiswa neeteleskopu ezisekwe eMhlabeni.
Iiteleskopu zaseMajukujukwini
Ingcamango yeteleskopu esekelwe esibhakabhakeni yavezwa nguLyman Spitzer ngo-1946. Kwakucingwa ukuba uqwalaselo olwenziwe yiteleskopu ekwisithuba alunakuphazamiseka okubangelwa yimozulu eguquguqukayo yoMhlaba. Kwakhona, kunokwenzeka ukuba iteleskopu yasesibhakabhakeni ibone i-UV, i-X-ray, kunye namaza e-infrared afunxwa ziimolekyuli zomoya ezisesibhakabhakeni. I-Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 (OAO-2), eyaziwa kakhulu ngokuba yiStargazer, yayiyiteleskopu yokuqala yasesibhakabhakeni ephumeleleyo eyenza uqwalaselo kuluhlu lwe-UV. Yaqaliswa ngo-1968 kwaye yaqhubeka isebenza de kwaba ngu-1973.
IHubble Space Telescope mhlawumbi yeyona teleskopu yaziwayo kakhulu. Yindawo enkulu yokujongisisa izinto kwaye yaqaliswa ngo-1990. Ipakishwe malunga ne-540 km ngaphezu koMhlaba kwindawo ephantsi yokujikeleza koMhlaba, iHubble teleskopu ibisebenza kwiminyaka engama-35 edlulileyo. Ukujonga kwayo okunzulu kutyhile amawaka eegalaksi ezikude ezazingaziwa ngaphambili. Ikwanegalelo ekubaleni ubudala obuchanekileyo kunye nesantya sokwanda kwendalo kwaye ithathwa njengeyona nto ibalulekileyo ekujongeni iinkwenkwezi esibhakabhakeni.
I-James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) lelinye igama elibalulekileyo. Yaqaliswa ngomhla wama-25 kuDisemba 2021, i-JWST yeyona teleskopu inkulu nenamandla kakhulu okwangoku. Ngokungafaniyo neHubble eyi-optical observatory kwi-low Earth orbit, i-JWST yi-infrared observatory ekwindawo yesibini yeLagrange (L2), malunga ne-1.5 yezigidi zeekhilomitha ukusuka eMhlabeni. Izinikele ekufundeni indalo yakudala, i-JWST yenzelwe ukujonga emva kwiminyaka engaphezu kwe-13.5 yeebhiliyoni ukuze ibone i-galaxies zokuqala ezenziwe emva kweBig Bang. Kwiminyaka emihlanu edlulileyo yokusebenza, i-JWST iguqule intsimi yeenkwenkwezi, ingakumbi ukufunda indalo yakudala.
UNancy Grace waseRoma iTelescope yaseMajukujukwini
I-Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, okanye i-Roman Telescope, iza kuqaliswa ngomhla wama-30 ku-Agasti 2026, ithiywe ngegama likaNancy Grace Roman, owayeyingcali yeenkwenkwezi yokuqala ye-NASA eyathiywa ngokuba yinkokheli yeprojekthi yeHubble Space Telescope. Ngokungafaniyo neHubble ebekwe kwi-orbit ephantsi yoMhlaba, i-Roman iza kufakwa kwaye isebenze ukusuka kwi-orbit ye-quasi-halo ejikeleze i-Sun-Earth Lagrange point yesibini (L2) kwindawo yase-JWST kumgama we-1.5 yezigidi zeekhilomitha ukusuka eMhlabeni.
I-Roman Telescope iya kuba ngaphezu kweemitha ezili-12.7 ubude kwaye ibe ngaphezu kweemitha ezi-4.4 ububanzi xa isetyenziswa ngokupheleleyo. Ukukhanya kwayo kunye nobuntununtunu bayo kuya kufana nokweHubble ngenxa yesipili sayo sokuqala esilingana (oko kukuthi, iimitha ezi-2.4 ububanzi).
Nangona kunjalo, iRoman iya kuba nebala lokujonga eliphindwe kalikhulu ngenxa yekhamera yayo ye-300-megapixel multi-band near-infrared ebizwa ngokuba yiWide Field Instrument (WFI), eya kubonelela ngemifanekiso yebala elibanzi kunye ne-spectroscopy. Ibala lokujonga elibanzi eline-imaging enesisombululo esiphezulu kunye nesantya sophando olukhawulezayo liya kwenza iRoman Telescope yenze uphando olukhulu lweegalaksi kunye neegalaksi ezingaphezulu kwebhiliyoni ezibonisa ukusasazwa kunye nokuguquka kwezinto kunye nokulinganisa imbali yokwanda kwendalo. Oku kuya kunika umbono malunga nemiphumo yento emnyama kunye namandla amnyama kwiimilo kunye nokusasazwa kweegalaksi kunye neegalaksi kwindalo yonke.
I-Roman Telescope iza kujonga ne-supernovae yohlobo lwe-Ia ekude, esebenza njengee-tracers zokwanda okukhawulezileyo kwendalo yonke ukuze ichaze amandla amnyama. Ngokucacileyo, i-Wide Field Instrument (WFI) iza kudlala indima ephambili ekufundeni izinto ezimnyama kunye namandla amnyama yi-Roman Telescope. Ngenxa yendima ephambili ye-Wide Field Instrument, i-Roman ngaphambili yayibizwa ngokuba yi-Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST).
URoman uza kukhangela aze afunde ngee-exoplanets. Uza kusebenzisa ii-microlensing, imifanekiso ethe ngqo, kunye nokudluliselwa koku. Kulindeleke ukuba okubonwe nguRoman kutyhile ii-exoplanets ezingaphezu kwe-100,000 njengoko zidlula kwiinkwenkwezi zazo eziziphetheyo. Isixhobo seCoronagraph esikwi-Roman Telescope siza kuthintela ukukhanya okukhulu kweenkwenkwezi kwaye sithathe iifoto zee-exoplanets kunye neediski zenkunkuma ezijikeleza zona.
Ngaloo ndlela uRoman uza kuba negalelo ekufundeni izinto ezimnyama, amandla amnyama, kunye neeplanethi ezingaphandle.
ITelescope yamaRoma kunye neTelescope kaJames Webb
Zombini iiteleskopu zasemkhathini zeNancy Roman kunye neJames Webb ziya kusebenza ngaxeshanye. Zombini ziza kufunda indalo yonke ngokukhanya kwe-infrared, nangona kunjalo, zahlukile kubuchule bazo bokufota kodwa zinokuncedisana ekufundeni ngeziganeko zeenkwenkwezi.

Nangona iWide Field Instrument (WFI) ivumela iRoman ukuba ithathe imifanekiso emikhulu (ephindwe kangangama-50 kuneWebb) kwaye inike umbono omkhulu, iJames Webb Telescope yenza iingqwalaselo ezinamandla xa ijonga ixesha elide ngesisombululo esiphezulu. Oku kungenxa yokuba isibuko esiphambili seWebb sikhulu kakhulu (iimitha eziyi-6.5) xa sithelekiswa nesikaRoman (iimitha eziyi-2.4).
Umbono kaRoman womfanekiso omkhulu kunye nombono onamandla kaWebb kunye zinokuba luncedo olukhulu kwizifundo zeenkwenkwezi.
I-Roman Telescope iya kuba nomsebenzi oyintloko weminyaka emihlanu, kwaye umsebenzi owandisiweyo weminyaka emihlanu.
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Iingxelo:
- I-NASA. I-Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Iyafumaneka apha https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/
- I-NASA's Roman Space Telescope Iqala Imisebenzi Edibeneyo Yokuqaliswa. Iposiwe nge-10 ka-Agasti 2026. Iyafumaneka apha https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/2026/08/10/nasas-roman-telescope-team-begins-integrated-operations-for-launch/
- I-NASA's Curious Universe – uthotho lwamaRoma: Imbono Entsha ye-NASA yeNdalo Emnyama. Isizini ye-13 Isiqendu 1. Iposiwe nge-11 ka-Agasti 2026. Iyafumaneka apha https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/curious-universe/roman-series-nasas-new-view-of-the-dark-universe/
- I-NASA's Curious Universe – uthotho lwamaRoma: IiJupiter ezijikeleze amanye amalanga. Isizini ye-13 Isiqendu sesi-2. Iposiwe nge-18 ka-Agasti 2026. Ifumaneka apha https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/curious-universe/roman-exoplanets/
- UBartusek, LML, et al. “Ukuphunyezwa kunye nemingeni ye-Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Observatory,” INkomfa ye-IEEE yeenqwelo-moya ka-2022 (i-AERO), Big Sky, MT, USA, 2022, iphe. 01-14, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO53065.2022.9843415
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Amanqaku afanelekileyo:
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