Have you ever wondered what the universe looked like after the Big Bang when it was still in its infancy, just a billion years old? With NASA’s new space telescope, Nancy Grace Roman, we’re about to catch a glimpse of the cosmic dawn.
This cosmic spacecraft is set to explore an era known as the cosmic dawn, an important transition when the universe went from a nebulous darkness to the stunning star-studded space we observe today.
Behind this ambitious project is esteemed astrophysicist Michelle Thaller of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“Something very fundamental about the nature of the universe changed during this time. Thanks to Roman’s large and sharp infrared image, we can finally understand what happened during a critical cosmic turn,” she says.
Setting the scene
Imagine the universe as a newborn, a hot sea of particles and radiation. As it expanded and cooled, protons captured electrons, forming neutral atoms and setting the stage for stars and galaxies.
But there was a catch – these neutral atoms absorbed the light, creating a fog that shrouded the cosmic phase, an era now known as the cosmic dark ages.
This intriguing period, lasting from about 380,000 to 200 million years after the big bang, was a time of suspense, like an overture before the main show, culminating in the cosmic dawn when the fog finally lifted.
“We’re very curious about how the process happened,” adds Aaron Yung of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
Prime Suspects Reveal Cosmic Dawn
So what caused the fog to rise? The Roman Nancy Grace Space Telescope aims to unmask the culprits. Possible suspects include early galaxies and their black holes.
How? Early galaxies, characterized by massive stars, can produce energetic light capable of shattering neutral atoms. Meanwhile, black holes may have generated massive radiation, contributing to the same process.
“Roman will excel at finding the building blocks of cosmic structures,” says Takahiro Morishita, an assistant scientist at Caltech/IPAC.
He explains that Roman’s wide, clear images could quickly identify dense regions where the “fog” was clearing, providing clues to early galactic evolution and the cosmic dawn.
How the cosmic dawn appeared
The earliest stars were no ordinary performers. Their intimidating mass and high-energy radiation illuminated the universe, played a role in the formation of galaxies, and ultimately contributed to the emergence of the cosmic dawn. But their life was a passing moment on the cosmic scale.
Science theorizes that these celestial heavyweights quickly collapsed to give birth to black holes.
Since the universe was still relatively smaller, these black holes could have easily merged to form even larger ones. These supermassive black holes may have played a key role in cleaning up the hydrogen haze of the early universe.
Symphony of telescopes
The Roman Space Telescope is not alone in this journey; it pairs with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, working as a dynamic duo to illuminate the cosmic dawn.
While Webb probes the early universe with his deepest view, Roman broadens the perspective, examining how common quasars really are and collecting a massive amount of data on early galaxies.
These combined efforts will give us an unprecedented glimpse into the early life of the universe.
The transition mysteries of the universe
As we return to the birth throes of the universe with the wide view of the Novel, we are closer to solving the mystery of the cosmic dawn.
By exploring the contributions of early galaxies and quasars, the Roman Space Telescope can decipher how these cosmic elements carved bubbles into the primordial nebula, paving the way for today’s clear and expansive cosmic views.
On this cosmic journey, Roman’s observations will contribute significantly to understanding how galaxies and central supermassive black holes emerged from primordial gas, influencing star formation and ultimately the universe as we know it.
With the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, we begin an illuminating exploration of how our universe went from being dark to the brilliant cosmos we perceive today.
Led by a stellar team of scientists and supported by key industrial partners, this mission shines a spotlight on a transformative period in our cosmic history: the Cosmic Dawn.
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