SPHEREx space telescope sends first images to Earth

First light for SPHEREx: The new space telescope of the US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has activated its detectors, which are all working as planned, and sent the first images to Earth. “Our probe has opened its eyes to the universe,” said SPHEREx scientist Olivier Doré. “It is working as intended.”

SPHEREx, short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, observes the sky in the infrared spectrum. Each image taken by the telescope consists of six images, one for each of the six detectors, which operate in different wavelength ranges.

The images cannot be used for scientific purposes

The image was taken on March 27. However, the images have not yet been calibrated and therefore cannot be used for scientific purposes, NASA announced. However, they already indicate what can be expected in the future. They also show that the telescope is correctly focused. The focus is set before the launch and cannot be changed in space.

“Based on the images we're seeing, we can now say that the instrument team got it right,” summarized SPHEREx principal investigator Jamie Bock, at Caltech and JPL.

SPHEREx was launched into space on March 11. Over the past two weeks, a NASA team has checked that all systems are functioning as planned. In addition, the detectors and other hardware have been cooled down to a temperature of around minus 210 degrees Celsius. This is necessary because the heat can impair the telescope's ability to detect infrared light.

SPHEREx is expected to begin scientific operations at the end of this month. The space telescope's main mission is scheduled to last two years. During this time, it will image the entire sky four times, capturing the light from hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies at more wavelengths than any other telescope used to survey the heavens.

(wpl)