Hubble Survey Sets Up Roman’s Future Look Near Milky Way’s Center
Why this matters: new research or scientific developments with potential real-world impact.
Roman Home About Roman Mission Overview Why is Roman Important? Who is Nancy Grace Roman? Frequently Asked Questions Mission Timeline Partners Meet the Team Science Overview Dark Energy Dark Matter Exoplanets Large Area Near-Infrared Surveys Observing with Roman General Investigator Program For Scientists Observatory Roman Observatory Wide Field Instrument Coronagraph Instrument Interactive Telescope Diagram Roman/Webb Comparison Roman/Hubble Comparison For Scientists Resources for Scientists Core Community Surveys General Astrophysics Surveys Science Teams Scientific Observatory Details Technical Details & Data Repository WFI Reference Information Anticipated Performance Tables Engaging with Roman Science Events Papers & Publications News In the News Find an Event Mission Timeline Social Media Media Resources Multimedia Education and Outreach Materials Roman’s Flickr Photo Gallery Videos and Animations Roman Observer Video Game 7 min read Hubble Survey Sets Up Roman’s Future Look Near Milky Way’s Center This VISTA VVV Survey image shows the galactic bulge near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center. A region planned for observation by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is outlined. This area has been observed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Image: NASA, Alyssa Pagan (STScI); Acknowledgment: VISTA, Dante Minniti (UNAB), Ignacio Toledo (ALMA), Martin Kornmesser (ESO) The Milky Way’s galactic bulge, the bulbous region that surrounds the galactic center, contains a dense collection of stars, planets, and other free-floating objects. This region has been studied for decades with numerous ground-based and space-based telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. Soon, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be the first to make studying the galactic bulge a part of its core science objectives, building on the data collected from all observatories before it. Roman’s field of view will cover more