NASA’s new SPHEREx stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer. Sounds complex, right? Simply put, it’s a special telescope designed to scan the entire sky in infrared light, which is invisible to human eyes but holds vital clues about the universe’s history and structure.
This incredible telescope is launching on February 28, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California. Once in space, it will start mapping the universe like never before.
Even though SPHEREx is compact (weighing just about as much as a grand piano), it has a huge job to do! It will:
This mission will help scientists understand some of the biggest cosmic mysteries, from the birth of galaxies to the origins of water in space!
You may have heard of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) or the Hubble Space Telescope. While these telescopes focus on specific parts of the sky with extreme detail, SPHEREx is different—it will scan the entire sky in record time! Think of it like comparing a microscope to a giant camera capturing the entire universe in one big picture.
SPHEREx can see in 102 different colors of light, helping scientists identify cosmic ingredients like hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur—essential for life!
NASA scientists have some exciting questions they hope it will answer:
Scientists believe that the universe expanded incredibly fast within a second after the Big Bang, a process called cosmic inflation. NASA’s new SPHEREx will map the patterns in galaxies to help us understand this mysterious event.
Did you know that water and organic molecules—the building blocks of life—exist in space? SPHEREx will track icy particles in our galaxy to learn how these molecules travel and possibly help form new planets.
Galaxies change over billions of years, but how? SPHEREx will record the positions and colors of one billion galaxies to uncover their secrets.
Our eyes can’t see everything in space, but infrared light can reveal hidden objects like distant galaxies, cold planets, and even asteroids in our solar system. SPHEREx will create the most colorful and detailed map of the sky ever made.
By collecting a treasure trove of data, SPHEREx will help future space missions explore habitable planets, improve our understanding of the universe’s past, and even guide the search for alien life.
As we wait for its launch, one thing is certain—NASA’s new SPHEREx will give us a new perspective on the universe, proving that even small telescopes can make big discoveries!
Authored by, Amay Mathur | Senior Editor
Amay Mathur is a business news reporter at Chegg.com. He previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. His areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. He is a Columbia University graduate.
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