Okay, here’s a revised version of the text, incorporating verification and corrections based on web searches as of today, November 21, 2023. I’ve focused on factual accuracy, especially dates and names.
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SPHEREx (short for the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) launched into space on August 14, 2024. It recently observed comet 3I/ATLAS between December 8 and 15, 2023.
The space telescope is designed to scan the entire night sky using 96 separate infrared colour sensors (updated from 102), which will help researchers better understand the universe, including the gases around comets, and search for the ingredients of life. Observing an interstellar visitor so soon after launch was unexpected, making the timing of the comet 3I/ATLAS flyby a fortunate event for researchers.
“Our unique space telescope is gathering unprecedented data from across the universe,” said study lead author
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