NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the Coronagraph Instrument, designed to block starlight, enabling the observation of planets and dusty disks around nearby stars. Following the activation, which occurred on September 1, the instrument will undergo extensive calibrations and tests over several months before full science operations commence.
The Coronagraph is a sophisticated system utilizing advanced optics, masks, self-flexing mirrors, and sensors to directly image exoplanets. It will effectively block the brilliance of surrounding stars, allowing scientists to capture the faint light reflected from orbiting planets.
Using this instrument, researchers aim to photograph older, colder giant planets closer to their stars—types that have been less visible in previous imaging efforts. The Roman team plans a series of pre-scheduled observations over the first year and a half of operations, spanning a total of three months.
In addition to direct imaging, the telescope will also employ microlensing and transit methods to discover exoplanets. Information about the array of planetary systems Roman will study can be found here.
For further details on the commissioning process of the Roman telescope, visit NASA’s official resources.
Published on September 1, 2026
