{
  "id": 4197858,
  "title": "NASA’s Roman Space Telescope could find alien Earths—but not like you think",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/nasas-roman-space-telescope-could-find-alien-earths-but-not-like-you",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-29T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Scientific American",
    "slug": "scientific-american",
    "url": "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-roman-space-telescope-could-find-alien-earths-but-not-like-you-think/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch, with its primary instrument expected to significantly advance various areas of astrophysics. The telescope will be equipped with a specialized coronagraph, an experimental device designed to directly capture starlight reflected off a planet's surface for the first time. According to Vanessa Bailey, an astrophysicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this technology will be tested in space for the first time, helping scientists understand what further work is needed.\n\nThe coronagraph is essentially a sunshade that blocks out a bright star's light, revealing a fainter object otherwise lost in the glare. This instrument has flown in space before, with both the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes carrying coronagraphs. However, the Roman Space Telescope's coronagraph is more sophisticated, thanks to adaptive optics technology that deforms the telescope's mirror to cancel out light distortions.\n\nThe Roman Space Telescope will spend over a quarter of its time observing the Milky Way's bulge, a star-packed central region that may be home to numerous small, rocky exoplanets. The telescope is named after Nancy Grace Roman, the first chief astronomer at NASA and the agency's first female executive, who played a crucial role in establishing NASA's space astronomy program and enabling missions like the Hubble Space Telescope.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "It was a spy satellite, now NASA's new telescope is set to head into space",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/it-was-a-spy-satellite-now-nasas-new-telescope-is-set-to-head-into",
        "published": "2026-08-27T19:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Conversation AU",
        "title": "NASA’s new telescope will transform our view of the universe. This is the story of its namesake",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/nasas-new-telescope-will-transform-our-view-of-the-universe-this-is",
        "published": "2026-08-27T23:58:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NPR",
        "title": "NASA is about to launch a space telescope that could change how we see the universe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/nasa-is-about-to-launch-a-space-telescope-that-could-change-how-we",
        "published": "2026-08-28T10:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Science News",
        "title": "NASA’s new space telescope will reveal the universe like never before",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/nasas-new-space-telescope-will-reveal-the-universe-like-never-before",
        "published": "2026-08-28T13:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "NASA telescope honors Nancy Grace Roman, architect of space-based astronomy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/nasa-telescope-honors-nancy-grace-roman-architect-of-space-based",
        "published": "2026-08-28T13:00:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Space.com",
        "title": "SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launching NASA's Roman Space Telescope on Aug. 30: How to watch it live",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-launching-nasas-roman-space-telescope-on",
        "published": "2026-08-28T15:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Unlocking cosmic secrets with NASA's new Nancy Grace Roman telescope",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/unlocking-cosmic-secrets-with-nasas-new-nancy-grace-roman-telescope",
        "published": "2026-08-28T15:48:15.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "NASA is launching the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Here are just a few of the wonders it will reveal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/nasa-is-launching-the-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-here-are-just",
        "published": "2026-08-29T08:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "KFC's 'Kentucky' was born after NASA sent chicken eggs to space",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/kfcs-kentucky-was-born-after-nasa-sent-chicken-eggs-to-space",
        "published": "2026-08-29T09:02:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}