Speaker
Description
SPHEREx, a satellite in NASA’s Medium Explorer program, was launched in March 2025 and is currently conducting the first all-sky near infrared spectral survey from 0.75 to 5 microns. Using linear variable filters mounted on six H2RG detector arrays, SPHEREx obtains low resolution spectra across the entire sky in 102 spectral channels with a resolving power of about 35 to 130. The mission is designed to address three primary science goals: probing the physics of cosmic inflation through large scale structure, tracing the origin of water and biogenic molecules in the form of interstellar ices, and studying the formation and evolution of galaxies across cosmic time. During its nominal mission SPHEREx will produce four full sky spectral maps that together form a unique legacy archive for the astronomical community. The survey will include spectra for hundreds of millions of galaxies and stars and a large sample of ice absorption measurements in the interstellar medium. This talk will provide a general overview of the SPHEREx mission and current survey status, and will highlight early analysis efforts including progress toward measurements of the extragalactic background light and other emerging science results.