"NASA Tests Next-Gen Exoplanet-Imaging Tech"
NASA's next-generation Coronagraph Instrument, part of the upcoming Roman Space Telescope, has successfully passed critical tests at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. This cutting-edge tool aims to vastly increase the number of observable exoplanets by blocking light from bright cosmic objects, allowing scientists to directly observe nearby planets. The instrument's advanced technologies will enable the viewing of planets similar to Jupiter in size and distance from their star, with the potential to eventually observe more Earth-like planets. The Roman Space Telescope, managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, will also conduct groundbreaking surveys of cosmic objects and generate 3D maps of the universe to explore various scientific questions.