They want to map 450 million galaxies.
NASA’s SPHEREx mission is set to launch this week with the goal of mapping over 450 million galaxies, offering a comprehensive view of how galaxies form and evolve, as well as shedding light on the origins of the universe. The observatory, designed to conduct a four-time, two-year survey of the entire sky, aims to provide answers to fundamental questions about the universe, including the origins of galaxies and the nature of the Big Bang. Despite a slight delay in its launch due to weather and technical issues, the mission is poised to significantly advance our understanding of cosmic phenomena.
SPHEREx, which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, will use infrared instruments to look through cosmic dust and gas, capturing images of distant stars and galaxies that are otherwise hidden. This will be the first mission to map the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, enabling scientists to study celestial objects in greater detail. The observatory will employ a technique called spectroscopy, which splits light into its components to analyze the properties of distant galaxies, including their composition, temperature, and movement.
The data gathered by SPHEREx will help scientists build a 3D map of hundreds of millions of galaxies and provide insights into the distribution of water and organic materials in our galaxy, potentially offering clues about the development of life both on Earth and elsewhere in the universe. Additionally, the mission aims to test theories about cosmic inflation, the rapid expansion of the universe just after the Big Bang. SPHEREx’s observations could refine our understanding of the physics behind this rapid expansion and the subsequent formation of the universe’s structure.
The SPHEREx mission is expected to be a breakthrough in astrophysics, offering scientists the tools to probe one of the most enduring mysteries in cosmology: the origins and expansion of the universe. By tracing the distribution of galaxies across the sky, SPHEREx may provide answers to how the universe evolved, while potentially uncovering new scientific phenomena. This mission, which has been in development for nearly a decade, represents a major leap forward in space research, with the potential for significant discoveries about our universe’s past and future.
With its groundbreaking technology and ambitious goals, SPHEREx promises to be a valuable asset to the scientific community. The mission’s findings could have far-reaching implications not only for understanding the universe’s history but also for unraveling the processes that govern galaxy formation, the distribution of life-supporting elements, and the evolution of the cosmos itself.
