The purpose of the Roman Space Telescope- if you could boil it down to one- would be cosmology, not small-body science. Yet a wide field of view- at high sensitivity and small pixels- will inherently catch asteroids/comets, without even trying. It is therefore our duty as Solar System, planetary, and small-body researchers, to make sure our voices are heard within the program. The Roman ST already extends into the infrared, past 2.0 microns, when 2.0 um had been the initial spec. This allows it to view the pyroxene spectral feature of asteroids. And yet, Roman cannot track fast enough- it can only directly image the star background, not Solar System objects moving against the background. No one pushed for that slightly faster capability, and now it’s built and settled. We must now ensure that the inherent cull of asteroids and comets isn’t compromised any further.
“While all the current surveys will produce data for Solar System science, none are specifically designed for such. The Exoplanets and Solar System (SS) Working Group leads invite you to participate”
“Our next meeting is 13 January 2026 from 3-4pm EST at:
https://osu.zoom.us/j/93405766421?pwd=sEKhbq64QfBcjv7fn62rHZsb67LvNn.1
To connect before our next meeting or have questions, please contact:
Susan Benecchi, susank@psi.edu “