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A rectangular metallic plate containing a grid of circular color filters for the Coronagraph Instrument on NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The small, backlit lenses display various hues, including vibrant shades of pink, green, orange, and blue along the top two rows, while several filters in the bottom rows appear dark or semi-opaque where visible light is blocked.

Nancy Grace Roman Coronagraph Instrument Color Filter Assembly

This is the Color Filter Assembly for the Coronagraph Instrument on NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Designed and built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this instrument uses specialized filters to isolate specific wavelengths of light. While some filters allow us to see vibrant colors, many appear dark because they block visible light while remaining transparent to infrared wavelengths. By analyzing these subtle light shifts, scientists can decode the atmospheric chemistry of exoplanets — distinguishing between cloudy gas giants like Jupiter and clear-sky worlds like Neptune. The Roman Coronagraph Instrument is managed by JPL, with key contributions from international partners including ESA, JAXA, CNES, and MPIA.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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