Determining stellar age is a major challenge. Launching by May 2027, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will measure rotation periods for hundreds of thousands of stars to reveal their history.
Image credit: NASA ScienceStars are born spinning rapidly, but sun-like stars slow down over billions of years. Stellar winds interact with magnetic fields to remove angular momentum, much like an ice skater extending their arms to slow a spin.
Image credit: NASA ScienceStrong magnetic fields cause faster stars to brake rapidly. After one billion years, stars of identical mass and age spin at matching rates, letting astronomers estimate age directly from rotation speed.
Image credit: NASA ScienceDistant rotation rates are measured by observing periodic brightness changes caused by starspots. As cool, dark spots rotate into view, the star dims slightly, providing a subtle rhythmic signature of its rotation.
Image credit: NASA ScienceMultiple spots make light curves complex to decode. University of Florida researchers created a program called butterpy to simulate spot decay and emergence, generating realistic light curves for advanced analysis.
Image credit: NASA ScienceResearchers tested their analytical models using observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The tools accurately extracted longer rotation periods despite systematic measurement noise in space data.
Image credit: NASA ScienceThe Roman Space Telescope will monitor hundreds of millions of stars in the crowded central region of our galaxy. This targeted survey tracks subtle brightness variations over time to refine observing strategies.
Image credit: NASA ScienceMapping the precise ages of vast stellar populations will help astronomers reconstruct how the Milky Way formed and changed over cosmic history, providing key insight into our galaxy's long-term evolution.
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