NASA's Roman Space Telescope Takes First Coronagraph Instrument Observation

On September 22, the Coronagraph Instrument on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope opened its eyes to cosmic light for the first time. The ultimate purpose of the instrument—which is commanded from Caltech’s IPAC , a science and data center for astrophysics and planetary sciences—is to demonstrate technology that can block starlight, providing unprecedented views of the planets and dusty disks around nearby stars. The coronagraph first woke up on September 1 and stretched its digital, electronic, and mechanical “limbs” mid-month.