NASA-Roman-Space-Telescope-Launch-Image-NASA-Public-Domain
Photo courtesy NASA. Public domain.
ID the Future Intelligent Design, Evolution, and Science Podcast
Share
Facebook
Twitter/X
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

I Helped Build NASA’s Latest Space Telescope. Here’s What It Will Do.

Episode
2276
With
Andrew McDiarmid
Guest(s)
Bijan Nemati
Duration
00:35:07
Download
Audio File (80.4 mb)
Share
Facebook
Twitter/X
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

A new space telescope was recently launched by NASA. What will it look for? Why do we need another telescope exploring the heavens? And how does an intelligent design perspective enrich both the expectations and interpretations of the telescope’s findings? Today on ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid is delighted to begin a two-part conversation with physicist Dr. Bijan Nemati about his work on the Nancy Roman Space Telescope. He’ll also help us understand the goals of the new observatory and how it will contribute to humanity’s understanding of the cosmos.

Nemati spent over a decade helping to develop the Roman space telescope, specifically focusing on its advanced coronagraph instrument, a crucial component of the telescope which effectively blocks blinding starlight to directly capture images of distant exoplanets. Here, Nemati explains the importance and function of the coronagraph. He also discusses how Roman will work alongside the James Webb Space Telescope to make our exploration of the cosmos deeper and richer.

Dr. Nemati also explains why an intelligent design perspective can enrich scientific inquiry. When framing scientific questions, an ID perspective encourages researchers to build highly efficient, statistically robust instruments to eliminate chance explanations more thoroughly. ID can also help us interpret data too. Nemati explains how ID provides a foundational framework to evaluate whether observations align with expectations for a given theory of origins.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. Look out for Part 2 next!

Dig Deeper