NASA is launching a modest but innovative space telescope, SPHEREx, to search for clues about the universe’s early history. The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer is an infrared telescope with a mirror no bigger than a dinner plate that will survey 450 million galaxies and create a vast 3D map.
SPHEREx aims to understand the universe’s rapid growth in its first billionth of a trillionth of a second, known as cosmic inflation. This theorized event is thought to have caused the universe to expand by a trillion trillionfold. The telescope will search for evidence of this inflation and narrow down possible drivers behind it.
The $488 million telescope will map the entire sky every 6 months and capture images of galaxies in infrared light, which can provide clues about distance and expansion. Three nested photon shields will keep the telescope cold, preserving its sensitivity to incoming signals.
SPHEREx hopes to shed light on galaxy evolution, the chemistry of our Galaxy, and the possible drivers of cosmic inflation. The resulting data may help astronomers understand why conditions at opposite ends of the universe appear similar despite being separated by vast distances.
The telescope’s infrared vision will also make it sensitive to chemical compounds in our own galaxy, including water ice, carbon monoxide, and dioxide. This could provide insights into potential building blocks for life.
SPHEREx is scheduled for launch on February 27 and will conduct a two-year survey of the universe. The telescope’s data may help answer long-standing questions about the universe’s early history and its mysterious flat uniformity.
Source: https://www.science.org/content/article/modest-telescope-big-plans-spherex-will-probe-cosmic-inflation-after-big-bang