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Spectrally Mapping the Sky with SPHEREx

Jamie Bock (Caltech)

Event Details:

Thursday, November 13, 2025
11:00am - 12:00pm PST

Location

In Person and Zoom - SLAC, Kavli 3rd Floor Conf. Room

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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