Nasa to launch new SPHEREx space telescope

Nasa is preparing to launch its newest space telescope later this week, called SPHEREx.

Its two-year planned mission is to map the entire sky in around 100 different colours.

The cone-shaped observatory will collect data on more than 450 million galaxies, as well as over 100 million stars in the Milky Way.

The hope is that the data it collects will help experts better understand the origins of our universe.

What is SPHEREx?

SPHEREx - which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer - is looking to answer big questions about the universe.

SPHEREx will look at hundreds of millions of galaxies both near and far, some so distant their light has taken 10 billion years to reach Earth.

According to Nasa, its all-sky map will help scientists answer major questions about why the universe looks the way it does and how galaxies form and evolve.

It will also help discover the origins and quantity of water and other important ingredients for life in our galaxy.

SPHEREx stands at 2.6 metres tall and 3.2 metres wide and weighs around 500kg.

The telescope's three cones will help direct heat and light away from the telescope and other components, keeping them cool.

It will take about 600 pictures of the sky each day and survey the entire sky about once every six months.

What will SPHEREx look at?

SPHEREx will survey areas throughout the Milky Way galaxy to measure the amount of water ice and other frozen molecules

It's hoped the SPHEREx mission will help to unlock some of the biggest secrets of our universe and help search for life beyond our planet.

The telescope will create the most colourful map of the entire outer space ever made - in more than 100 colours.

This is because it "sees" in the infrared range, which consists of wavelengths the human eye can't detect.

Using a technique called spectroscopy, the telescope splits light into 102 colours, similar to how a prism creates a rainbow from sunlight.

This allows the observatory to detect evidence of difference compounds and molecules, as each one absorbs and gives out different amounts of colours.

Nasa says that spectroscopy can also help scientists measure how far away objects are, making it ideal for studying distant galaxies and mapping their locations in 3D.

Astronomers will use the mission to gather data on more than 450 million galaxies, as well as more than 100 million stars in our own Milky Way galaxy.

When will SPHEREx launch & how long will it last?

The U.S. space agency's SPHEREx space telescope is due to be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US state of California.

It was originally scheduled to take off at the end of February, however this date has been pushed back, and Nasa are now saying that it won't launch until 6 March at the earliest.

The mission is expected to last two years in space.

Why is SPHEREx important?

As well as providing space experts with the most colourful map of the entire sky, the mission will also search the Milky Way galaxy for the essential ingredients needed for life such as water and carbon dioxide.

SPHEREx has been designed to find these molecules frozen in the clouds of gas and dust where planets and stars eventually form.

The mission will help scientists discover the location and abundance of these compounds in our galaxy, giving them a better idea of how likely they are to be found in newly forming planets.

How is SPHEREx different from other space telescopes?

Nasa launched its most powerful telescope, the James Webb telescope, on 25th December 2021

The US space agency says that its new space telescope will add a unique strength to its fleet of space telescopes.

The ability of SPHEREx to scan the whole sky so quickly and gather data on billions of stars and galaxies, will work well alongside Nasa's more targeted telescopes, such as Hubble and the James Webb telescope.

They say that SPHEREx can help search for trends and identify targets for more detailed study for future missions by their other telescopes.