As NASA prepares to launch its latest space telescope, SPHEREx, on February 28, 2025, the scientific community is abuzz with excitement. This mission promises to unveil new insights into the universe's origins, the growth of galaxies, and the search for life's essential ingredients.
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Here are three key things you need to know about SPHEREx:
SPHEREx is designed to create the most colorful map of the cosmos ever, using 102 infrared colors to survey the entire sky. Unlike the human eye, which can only see optical light, SPHEREx will detect both optical and infrared light, revealing hidden details about the universe's structure and evolution. This comprehensive map will help scientists understand the distribution of galaxies and stars across cosmic history, providing a 3D view of the universe like never before
One of SPHEREx's primary objectives is to shed light on cosmic inflation, a phenomenon that occurred in the universe's first fraction of a second. By measuring the distribution of over 450 million galaxies, SPHEREx aims to improve our understanding of this rapid expansion and its impact on the universe's large-scale structure. This knowledge will help scientists better grasp why the universe appears so uniform on large scales.
SPHEREx will also embark on a quest to locate water ice and organic molecules in the Milky Way galaxy. These substances are crucial for life as we know it, and identifying their presence in interstellar clouds and planetary disks will provide valuable insights into the potential for life beyond Earth. By pinpointing these molecules, SPHEREx will help researchers understand how life might emerge in our galaxy.