All articles tagged with #spherex
NASA’s SPHEREx telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS erupting after its Sun encounter, releasing abundant organic compounds such as methanol, cyanide and methane along with relatively large fragments. The data suggest a radiation-processed crust and deeper ice reserves were heated, offering a rare glimpse at material formed around another star.
NASA's SPHEREx infrared space telescope observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during its December close approach and detected organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide, and methane, indicating that the materials associated with life can be present in cometary material. The findings, published as a Research Note of the American Astronomical Society, support the idea that comets can deliver bio-relevant compounds, though they do not imply life itself. SPHEREx scans the sky in infrared with 102 color sensors, and captured data as 3I/ATLAS passed by the Sun before heading back into interstellar space.
NASA’s SPHEREx infrared telescope observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS flare up as it was exiting the solar system in December 2025, revealing a coma rich in water vapor, carbon dioxide and complex organics (including methane, methanol and cyanide) and a pear-shaped dust tail. The observations suggest sunlight penetrated buried ices, triggering a delayed release of materials formed around another star. 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object, discovered in 2025, with the findings published in February 2026 in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.
NASA’s SPHEREx observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS brighten in December 2025, detecting organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide and methane in a increasingly active coma rich in CO2, CO and H2O. Delayed venting—driven by solar heating penetrating deep into the crust—releases pristine ices and rocky material, highlighting the comet’s processed exterior and complex chemistry, and showcasing SPHEREx’s capability to study such rare, far‑flung visitors.
NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft has released its first comprehensive all-sky map, combining over 100 exposures in 102 infrared colors to provide unprecedented details of the universe, aiding in understanding cosmic origins, galaxy distribution, and interstellar materials, despite challenges from satellite debris.
NASA's SPHEREx observatory has completed its first full-sky infrared map in 102 wavelengths, capturing data on over 450 million galaxies and providing new insights into the universe's origins, galaxy evolution, and cosmic structure. The mission's extensive multi-wavelength data will help address fundamental cosmological questions and is now publicly available.
NASA's SPHEREx telescope has completed its first comprehensive infrared map of the entire sky, capturing 102 different wavelength images that provide valuable data for understanding the universe's origins and evolution, with more scans planned during its primary two-year mission.
NASA's SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first all-sky infrared map in 102 colors, providing unique data to study the universe's early moments, galaxy evolution, and the distribution of life ingredients, with the dataset freely available for scientific research.
NASA's SPHEREx telescope has revealed that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is wrapped in carbon dioxide fog and water ice, indicating it was well-processed before ejection from its parent system, likely originating from far away in the Milky Way's thick disk. This discovery provides insights into the composition of interstellar objects and demonstrates SPHEREx's advanced capabilities in sky mapping and chemical analysis.
NASA's newest space telescope, SPHEREx, launched from Vandenberg and now in orbit, has begun capturing and publicly releasing images of the universe, using 102 wavelengths of infrared light to study cosmic phenomena, including water and organic molecules in the Milky Way, with plans to complete multiple sky surveys over its 25-month mission.
NASA's SPHEREx space telescope has begun delivering its all-sky survey data to a public archive, enabling global access to its detailed infrared observations of the universe, which will support a wide range of astronomical research over its two-year mission.
NASA's SPHEREx mission has launched a space telescope that is creating an all-sky map in 102 infrared wavelengths, with data being publicly released weekly to enable widespread scientific research on the universe's structure, composition, and history, including the study of water, organic molecules, and cosmic expansion.
NASA's $488 million SPHEREx mission aims to map the universe in 3D, analyze over 450 million galaxies and 100 million stars, study cosmic inflation, and detect molecules essential for life, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of the cosmos.
NASA's $488 million SPHEREx telescope was launched to create a detailed 3D map of the universe, studying galaxies, stars, and interstellar molecules to understand cosmic inflation, galaxy formation, and the origins of life-building elements, potentially transforming our understanding of the cosmos.
NASA's SPHEREx space observatory, designed to map the sky in 3D, is set to launch in February 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission aims to study cosmic inflation, the collective glow of distant galaxies, and search for life-sustaining elements in the Milky Way. Developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, SPHEREx will operate for two years, producing two sky maps annually. The launch will also carry NASA's PUNCH mission to study the sun's corona.