NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope Completes First Map of the Entire Universe in 102 “Colors”
Launched this March, NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory has completed its first infrared map of the entire universe in 102 “colors” – wavelengths of infrared radiation invisible to the naked eye. This comprehensive observation will allow scientists to tackle essential questions, from identifying water-bearing sites within the Milky Way to understanding the universe’s earliest moments after the Big Bang.
Specifically, the data will help unravel how events in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang influenced the distribution of galaxies, and how galaxies have evolved over the past 14 billion years. Researchers will also use the information to study the distribution of key ingredients for life in our galaxy.
“Its astonishing how much information SPHEREx was able to collect in just six months – information that will be extremely valuable when used together with data from other missions to better understand the universe,” says Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA headquarters in Washington. “Basically we have 102 new maps of the whole sky. Each one is at a different wavelength and contains unique information about the objects it sees.I think every astronomer will find something of value ther, as NASA’s missions allow the world to answer fundamental questions about how the universe began and how it changed to eventually form our home.”
SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe,Epoch of Reionization,and Ices Explorer) orbits Earth 14.5 times daily, taking approximately 3,600 images per day. Mapping began in May, and the first full-sky mosaic was completed in december. The mission, managed by California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is scheduled to produce three more full-sky scans during its two-year primary mission, increasing measurement sensitivity.
The entire dataset is freely available to scientists and the public. “SPHEREx is a medium-sized astrophysics mission, but one that delivers big science,” stated Dave Gallagher, director of JPL. “It is a phenomenal example of how we can turn bold ideas into reality, unlocking enormous potential for revelation.”
Each of the 102 “colors” recorded by SPHERex represents one wavelength of infrared radiation. Each
NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory Creates Unprecedented All-Sky Map in 102 colors
NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometric Infrared Astronomical Observatory) mission is generating a revolutionary all-sky map, capturing the universe in 102 distinct colors. This unique capability allows scientists to study the universe in unprecedented detail, potentially unlocking secrets about its earliest moments.
“SPHEREx’s superpower is that it captures the entire sky in 102 colors every 6 months.That’s an amazing amount of information collected in a short amount of time,” explains Beth Fabinsky, SPHEREx mission project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She playfully compares the observatory to a mantis shrimp, known for its complex visual system, stating, “I think that makes us ‘mantis shrimp’ among telescopes because we have an amazing multi-color visual detection system and we can also see a very wide swath of our surroundings.”
to achieve this, SPHEREx utilizes six detectors, each equipped with a specialized filter containing a transition between 17 different wavelengths, resulting in the 102 “colors” (6 x 17 = 102) per image. Essentially, each all-sky map produced by SPHEREx is comprised of 102 individual maps, each representing a different wavelength of light.
The primary goal of SPHEREx is to measure the distances to hundreds of millions of galaxies. While the locations of many galaxies have already been mapped in two dimensions, SPHEREx will create a three-dimensional map, enabling scientists to analyze subtle variations in galactic clustering and distribution.These measurements are expected to provide valuable insights into the period of cosmic inflation – a fraction of a second after the Big Bang when the universe expanded exponentially.
According to NASA, this inflationary period saw the universe grow by a factor of a trillion trillion in a tiny fraction of a second. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasas-spherex-observatory-completes-first-cosmic-map-like-no-other/ understanding this rapid expansion is a major focus of cosmological research, and SPHEREx’s approach offers a new avenue for exploration.
The mission is also expected to contribute to our understanding of exoplanets and the composition of interstellar dust.
Image Sources:
* SPHEREx All-Sky Stars and Gas-Dust
* SPHEREx All-sky Map of Stars
* SPHEREx All-Sky Map Creation
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