Keck Observatory Donor Salon: Broadening Our Horizons With the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Guest Speaker:

Dr. Gregory Wirth

Principal Systems Engineer

Ball Aerospace

What’s the true nature of dark energy and dark matter, those invisible forces that both bind together and may ultimately tear apart the Universe? And how common are solar systems like our own? Astronomers have made important progress in answering these key questions using Keck and other massive ground-based telescopes, but space telescopes offer powerful capabilities as well. With JWST now launched, NASA and its international partners are moving forward on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, our first space observatory designed with wide-field imaging capability.  When launched in 2025, Roman’s cutting-edge science instruments will obtain both exquisitely-resolved images and unprecedented cosmic panoramas that can revolutionize our understanding of exoplanets and dark energy.

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The staff and management of the W. M. Keck Observatory wish to offer our deepest gratitude to our Astronomy Talk Series sponsors, Rob and Terry Ryan.