Spectrally Mapping the Sky with SPHEREx
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Zoom Recording Passcode: ?Z^+6ywB
Launched in March 2025, SPHEREx is an all-sky spectral survey satellite designed to address three science goals with a single instrument, a wide-field imager. SPHEREx probes the physics of inflation through measurements of non-Gaussianity by studying large-scale structure, surveying a large cosmological volume at low redshifts. The program charts the origin and history of galaxy formation by mapping large-scale spatial power in two deep fields located near the ecliptic poles. SPHEREx also investigates the origin of water and biogenic molecules in the early phases of planetary system formation - from molecular clouds to young stellar systems with protoplanetary disks - by measuring ice absorption spectra. Following in the tradition of all-sky missions, SPHEREx will be the first all-sky near-infrared spectral survey, producing four complete all-sky maps that will serve as a rich archive for the astronomy community. With over a billion detected galaxies, hundreds of millions of high-quality stellar and galactic spectra, and over a million ice absorption spectra, the archive will enable diverse scientific investigations across astronomy. Our two-year mission is now completing its first map of the full sky. I will share the performance of the instrument in flight and some early results.
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