NASA’s 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 — or colors — to study galaxy formation, cosmic inflation, and the origins of water and organic molecules in planetary systems.
SPHEREx launched atop a Falcon 9 in March, sharing its ride with the four spacecraft of NASA’s 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.