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<\/p>\nNASA\u2019s latest space telescope has taken the first science observations of its two-year mission to study the universe in dozens of colors. The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) telescope maps the entire sky in 102 infrared wavelengths \u2014 or colors \u2014 to study galaxy formation, cosmic inflation, and the origins of water and organic molecules in planetary systems.<\/p>\n
SPHEREx launched atop a Falcon 9 in March, sharing its ride with the four spacecraft of NASA\u2019s Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission. With the PUNCH satellites also having sent back their first images, the spacecraft are now being readied to study the solar corona and solar wind.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
SPHEREx begins its science mission<\/p>\n
On March 27 \u2014 15 days after its launch \u2014 SPHEREx saw its first light, proving its instruments performed as designed. This milestone was then followed by calibration and checkouts, culminating in the start of SPHEREx\u2019s science operations on May 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of us have been working toward this goal for 12 years,\u201d said SPHEREx principal investigator Jamie Bock of Caltech and NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). \u201cThe performance of the instrument is as good as we hoped. That means we\u2019re going to be able to do all the amazing science we planned on and perhaps even get some unexpected discoveries.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Zoom on the dust cloud in SPHEREx\u2019s image, using different color filters. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/p>\n
As NASA announced SPHEREx had begun its science mission, the agency also released some of the telescope\u2019s first images, taken in April. The images show a collection of dust in a nearby dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud, which SPHEREx captured in different wavelengths of infrared light. As the molecules that make up the dust absorb and emit only specific wavelengths, the dust cloud\u2019s appearance differs in each image.<\/p>\n
As different chemical compounds and elements impart a unique signature on the spectrum of light that reaches the telescope, astronomers use these properties to study the chemical composition of astronomical objects. SPHEREx\u2019s design allows it to perform these spectroscopy studies at a large scale across the entire sky, capturing a total of 102 wavelengths.<\/p>\n
Spaceflight history books (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n To capture this range of wavelengths, SPHEREx is fitted with six detectors, each featuring a linear variable filter. Each filter has a gradient of 17 segments, each letting through only a single wavelength of light. After taking an image, or exposure, with all detectors, SPHEREx slightly shifts its position to capture each part of the sky at a different wavelength.<\/p>\n Through the 25 months of its planned mission, SPHEREx is set to take 600 exposures every day, for a total of 3,600 images across all detectors. From its position in Sun-synchronous orbit around Earth, the telescope will see the entire sky in six months. This allows NASA to create four maps of the universe by the end of SPHEREx\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n