NASA启动罗马太空望远镜300万像素红外相机

NASA的罗马太空望远镜成功启动了其宽视场仪器，这台300万像素的红外相机能够以哈勃级别的清晰度快速拍摄宇宙的广阔区域1。单个宽视场仪器图像的覆盖范围超过满月的视直径1。该仪器配备18个红外探测器，其光敏区域大小约为笔记本电脑屏幕1。

宽视场仪器的启动涉及一个精密的冷却过程。9月11日早晨，团队关闭仪器加热器，使宽视场仪器冷却到华氏零下225度（摄氏零下143度）1。与此同时，罗马望远镜的冠面仪也完成了早期系统检查，其工作温度为华氏72度（摄氏22度），接近室温1。

这两项重大系统里程碑使罗马望远镜更接近其科学运营目标1。罗马太空望远镜计划于2027年初发布首批科学图像，目前距其目标位置第二拉格朗日点L2约100万英里1。

NASA has successfully activated the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) aboard the Roman Space Telescope, a 300-megapixel infrared camera designed to survey vast regions of the universe with clarity comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope 1. The WFI can capture images of sky areas larger than the diameter of the full moon in a single exposure 1. This milestone, combined with early systems checks completed on the telescope's Coronagraph Instrument, represents major progress toward the observatory's goal of beginning scientific operations in 2027 1.

On the morning of September 11, the Roman team initiated the cooling process for the WFI by shutting down its heaters, bringing the instrument down to approximately minus 225 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 143 degrees Celsius) 1. The Wide Field Instrument is equipped with 18 infrared detectors whose light-sensitive areas are roughly the size of a laptop computer screen 1. In contrast, the Coronagraph Instrument operates near room temperature, at approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius), with its detectors planned to function in a near-ambient temperature environment 1. The Roman Space Telescope is currently positioned about one million miles from its destination at the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point 1, with the mission scheduled to release its first scientific images in early 2027 1.