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NASA launched the new Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) space observatory into orbit. This cone-shaped telescope will produce a complete and detailed sky map in infrared light every six months, complementing observations from the powerful James Webb Space Telescope.
Panoramas of the observable universe. With the ability to observe the entire sky in 102 different infrared colors, SPHEREx will complement Webb’s findings, which specialize in profound, detailed observations of specific regions of the universe.
“We are literally mapping the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colors for the first time in humanity’s history,” NASA stated.
Another SpaceX launch. On March 11, SPHEREx blasted off into polar orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, along with NASA’s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission.
PUNCH is a constellation of four small satellites designed to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere and corona, specifically how solar wind is generated. Solar wind causes geomagnetic storms that can affect astronauts, satellites, and terrestrial infrastructure.
Unravel cosmic inflation. One of SPHEREx’s primary goals is to study what happened in the first moments of the universe after the Big Bang: a phenomenon of exponential growth known as cosmic inflation.
SPHEREx will map the distribution of more than 450 million galaxies to understand how this event influenced the current structure of the cosmos.
Colors and signs of life. Using its infrared spectrograph, SPHEREx will separate the light it captures into hundreds of colors to measure distances, chemical compositions, and the historical evolution of the universe’s brightness.
In addition to creating the most detailed and colorful infrared map of the cosmos to date, the telescope will search for molecules essential to life, such as water and carbon dioxide, hidden in interstellar clouds of gas and dust in our galaxy.
Why a cone? SPHEREx’s conical design is more than just aesthetic. It’s a passive cooling system that requires no electricity or coolants to keep the spacecraft cool, allowing it to detect faint infrared emissions from distant objects without thermal interference.
Despite its global view of the cosmos, SPHEREx will capture light from galaxies never before observed individually, providing clues to targets of interest for more detailed study by Webb and other space telescopes.
Image | NASA
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