NASA is preparing to launch its groundbreaking SPHEREx space telescope on Friday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Designed to shed light on the cosmic dawn and the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang, SPHEREx - short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer - will map the cosmos in unprecedented detail.
Over the course of its planned two-year mission, SPHEREx will collect data on more than 450 million galaxies and over 100 million stars within the Milky Way, creating a comprehensive three-dimensional map of the universe in 102 distinct colors. This spectral mapping will allow scientists to study the distribution of galaxies across vast cosmic scales and directly investigate the rapid expansion known as cosmic inflation - a phenomenon believed to have occurred in a fraction of a second after the Big Bang roughly 13.8 billion years ago.
“By mapping the distribution of galaxies over the whole sky, we can directly constrain unique properties of inflation,” said cosmologist Olivier Doré of Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The fact that we can connect these large-scale structures to the physics of inflation is very powerful, almost magical.”
In addition to probing the early universe, SPHEREx will search for reservoirs of water and other key molecules such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide on the surface of interstellar dust grains. These molecular clouds - dense regions of gas and dust that give rise to new stars and planets - are thought to be the primary sites for water formation in the universe, a crucial ingredient for life.
SPHEREx will employ its innovative spectro-photometry techniques to split the light from billions of cosmic sources into their component wavelengths, determining their composition and distance. The telescope will also measure the collective glow from the vast space between galaxies, offering new insights into the cosmic web that binds the universe.
Jim Fanson, SPHEREx project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasized the mission’s transformative potential: “Cosmic inflation is the consensus framework for explaining the universe’s large-scale structure. SPHEREx will provide an unprecedented dataset to mine, and there is no doubt we will discover new cosmic phenomena.”
Launched alongside a constellation of satellites for NASA’s PUNCH mission - aimed at studying the sun’s corona and solar wind - SPHEREx represents a major step forward in astronomical research. As it prepares to look at the sky in entirely new ways, scientists are optimistic that the mission will uncover hidden chapters of our universe’s history and enhance our understanding of the forces that shaped the cosmos.
With its innovative design and ambitious goals, SPHEREx is poised to open a new window on the early universe, promising discoveries that could reshape our understanding of cosmic origins and the potential for life beyond Earth.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 has a very small chance of hitting Earth, as new observations showed that it has been downgraded to "No Hazard" Level on the Torino impact scale, a tool for categorizing the impact hazard associated with near-Earth objects such as asteroids and comets.
NASA has raised the probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 striking Earth in 2032 to 3.1%, making it the most threatening space rock recorded in modern forecasting. While the risk is still low, experts emphasize the need for continued monitoring.
NASA’s acting administrator Janet Petro said on Wednesday that a government efficiency panel led by Elon Musk will review the space agency’s spending, while confirming that hundreds of NASA employees have accepted a federal buyout plan.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to provide stunning insights into the universe.
NASA has swapped the capsule for its upcoming Crew-10 mission, using a previously flown SpaceX Crew Dragon instead of a delayed new one. The move brings forward the launch date to March 12, allowing an earlier return for two astronauts stranded aboard the ISS.
Alibaba announced on Tuesday that it will release an open-source version of its video and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1, as part of its ongoing efforts to foster innovation and collaboration within the AI community.
Overall car registrations in Europe, the UK, and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) fell by 2.1% in January, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). While fully electric vehicle (EV) sales surged by 37.3%, the sharp decline in sales of petrol and diesel mod
Taiwanese semiconductor company Vanguard International Semiconductor has cautioned that U.S. tariffs on imported chips could trigger inflation and hamper global economic growth, though the firm expects any direct impact on its business to be minimal.
Elon Musk, appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the newly named Department of Government Efficiency and tasked with rooting out waste in federal agencies, renewed his threat to fire federal workers who fail to justify their jobs.
DISA Global Solutions, a major U.S.-based provider of employee screening services, has confirmed a data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 3.3 million individuals, according to filings with state attorneys general.
A recent discovery has revealed that ancient artifacts from the Treasure of Villena were crafted using metal from meteorites, offering new insights into early metalworking techniques in the Iberian Peninsula.
Polish startup Clone Robotics has unveiled Protoclone, the world’s first anatomically accurate humanoid robot, featuring artificial muscles, bones, and joints that enable lifelike movements.
Berlin, February 21, 2025 – German citizens will head to the polls on Sunday, February 23, for a snap general election after the coalition government collapsed late last year.
U.S. President Donald Trump has wasted no time in his second term, making sweeping changes across domestic and foreign policy in just four weeks. His administration has aggressively reshaped federal agencies, redefined trade policy, frozen foreign aid, and taken bold steps in global diplomacy.
The Trump administration is planning to further tighten semiconductor export restrictions on China, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, as part of a broader effort to curtail Beijing's technological capabilities-a policy move that builds on measures first put in place under the Biden administration.
Taiwanese semiconductor company Vanguard International Semiconductor has cautioned that U.S. tariffs on imported chips could trigger inflation and hamper global economic growth, though the firm expects any direct impact on its business to be minimal.
In a significant development for the tech industry, Indonesia and Apple have reportedly reached an agreement to lift the country's ban on the iPhone 16. According to Bloomberg News, which cited people familiar with the matter, the deal could be signed as early as this week.
Qatar is hosting the annual 2025 Web Summit, one of the world's largest conferences, aiming to become a bridge for sci-tech globalization.
Media City Qatar and Huawei have signed a memorandum of understanding to drive digital transformation in Qatar’s media sector through advanced technology solutions.
Alibaba announced on Tuesday that it will release an open-source version of its video and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1, as part of its ongoing efforts to foster innovation and collaboration within the AI community.
Overall car registrations in Europe, the UK, and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) fell by 2.1% in January, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). While fully electric vehicle (EV) sales surged by 37.3%, the sharp decline in sales of petrol and diesel mod
Taiwanese semiconductor company Vanguard International Semiconductor has cautioned that U.S. tariffs on imported chips could trigger inflation and hamper global economic growth, though the firm expects any direct impact on its business to be minimal.
Elon Musk, appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the newly named Department of Government Efficiency and tasked with rooting out waste in federal agencies, renewed his threat to fire federal workers who fail to justify their jobs.
DISA Global Solutions, a major U.S.-based provider of employee screening services, has confirmed a data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 3.3 million individuals, according to filings with state attorneys general.
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