NASA's new space telescope is seeing even more sharply than planned
Beyond EarthFrom: ScienceDaily · rewritten for kids by Osmo
Read the story
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is being tested before its big job of studying the universe. Engineers moved one of its mirrors by a tiny amount, just one-sixteenth the width of a human hair. That small change lined everything up almost perfectly. Now its main camera makes pictures nearly 30% sharper than expected. Sharper pictures will help scientists study the mysteries of space.
Big word
telescope: A tool that collects light so we can see things that are very far away.
Quiz time: circle the right answer
1. How much did engineers move the mirror?AOne metreBOne-sixteenth the width of a hairCHalf a centimetre
2. How much better are Roman's pictures than expected?ANearly 30% betterBTwice as goodCA tiny bit worse
3. What will Roman help scientists study?ADark matter and dark energyBOcean fishCVolcanoes on Earth
Your turn
Hold a magnifying glass or a glass of water over a page. Move it a tiny bit. Draw how the words look when they are sharp and when they are blurry.
My question about this story