New NASA space telescope SPHEREx to launch in February — it can do what the JWST can't

[Admin]

SPHEREx is slated to launch Feb. 27 on a SpaceX rocket. It is meant to map the entire night sky in infrared — something even the JWST can't exactly do.

New NASA space telescope SPHEREx to launch in February — it can do what the JWST can't : Read more

 

[Damon A]

102 infrared colors seems very important to them, it was mentioned three times I think. My first thought was, well, damn, I bet Chyna is already racing to build one that can see in 103 colors.

 

[George²]

102 infrared colors seems very important to them, it was mentioned three times I think. My first thought was, well, damn, I bet Chyna is already racing to build one that can see in 103 colors.

Since this is a telescope located in space that will not be hindered by the Earth's atmosphere, but only by gas and dust clouds and highly heated plasma winds and particle jets located between the telescope and the observed objects, it is important to choose wavelengths for which these obstacles are permeable, transparent.
As for the question of whether the chosen number of lengths is sufficient and not too large and whether it would be a value around which a competition would arise... Well, I don't know, but in the past and today there have been competitions with stupid reasons.

 

[Icepilot]

SPHEREx is slated to launch Feb. 27 on a SpaceX rocket. It is meant to map the entire night sky in infrared — something even the JWST can't exactly do.

New NASA space telescope SPHEREx to launch in February — it can do what the JWST can't : Read more

"the cosmic equivalent of new colors." - I like a metaphor as well as anyone, but this is supposed to be science.
Not "new", hidden.

 

[billslugg]

This is all correct, but provides no new information. It writes a headline the body can't cash. My English teacher would have called it "wordy". I was hoping to find out why this scope is better than JWST, like what is it's range and sensitivity?

Also seems to be making up terms. What exactly is "optical light". I have heard "visible light" but never "optical light". Optical light, to me, would be any light, visible to a human or not, that can be brought to a focus. "Visible light" would be light our eyes can see.

The author has a "BA in Philosophy, Physics and Chemistry" and formerly worked as an immunologist. I have a question, how do you get a BA in a scientific field?

A lot of stuff does not add up here.
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The promise of SPHEREx
Over two years — unless NASA decides to extend the mission — SPHEREx will map the universe while detecting two kinds of cosmic light: optical and infrared.

Optical light is visible to the human eye, and is the specialty of many telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope, while infrared light is invisible to us and is more akin to a heat signature. Infrared is the James Webb Space Telescope's speciality, and is in fact why the JWST has been so iconic in showing us things in the universe that have remained hidden for so long. It is the universe's infrared light that possesses information about the farthest reaches of space, the stars being born within blankets of dust, and the details of galactic structures that are showing scientists the cosmic equivalent of new colors.

There have indeed been other infrared eyes on the sky — like the now-retired Spitzer Telescope, and even Hubble has some capabilities in this realm — but none really match up to the JWST.

 

[George²]

wordy". I was hoping to find out why this scope is better than JWST, like what is it's range and sensitivity?

When comparing telescopes with different purposes, it is natural that each of them has advantages related to its specific work. Mapping the universe is not a primary, or even a part of the intended activity of the Webb Telescope, so it does not have a wide-angle lens with which to capture large areas of the celestial sphere at once.

 

[billslugg]

When comparing telescopes with different purposes, it is natural that each of them has advantages related to its specific work. Mapping the universe is not a primary, or even a part of the intended activity of the Webb Telescope, so it does not have a wide-angle lens with which to capture large areas of the celestial sphere at once.

Yes, I already knew all of that based on the first part of the article. The last part promised to give me specifics and it didn't. I wanted to know how many square degrees it can see and in what wavelengths, how sensitive and how that differed from JWST, all I got was mush.

 

[George²]

Yes, I already knew all of that based on the first part of the article. The last part promised to give me specifics and it didn't. I wanted to know how many square degrees it can see and in what wavelengths, how sensitive and how that differed from JWST, all I got was mush.

11°x3.5° field of view for SPHEREx. Make your math, please.

 

[Classical Motion]

I think it is different and will gives us much more information. My completely uninformed opinion is that up to now, most of our star observations have been skinny. Until WEBB. But WEBB is a pin point seeker.

We have looked in all directions, but we haven’t listened for all the sounds. Only certain tones.

These selected red tones, will give us a peek of the EM bandwidth of space.

A full bandwidth RX, like WEBB for a omni scan would be very expensive.

But selected cheap detectors for certain slots of that spread, can give us a quick glimpse. Of what might be there.

Much of this bandwidth has to be done out in cold space. And L2 is perfect cover from the sun.

This is what I harvest from the article. It doesn’t tug on me that much for further interest. We now have data over decades in age that no one has seen yet. Maybe A.I. will help us catch up.

We should hear more about it in the future. With a better explanation of it’s capabilities. Especially if something new shows up. Like a huge warm spot.

When are we gong to make our instruments refuel-able? When it dies can we exit L2? Or will we have L2 junk?

What are the environment effects? For the next L2 residents. Our L points should be protected. A HOA. No junkers.

 

[Moonwatcher]

SPHEREx is slated to launch Feb. 27 on a SpaceX rocket. It is meant to map the entire night sky in infrared — something even the JWST can't exactly do.

New NASA space telescope SPHEREx to launch in February — it can do what the JWST can't : Read more

In all the articles about SPHEREx and PUNCH, none of them mention what orbit they will be launching into. Seems strange to launch such lightweight space telescopes on a Falcon 9 that can haul up 40,000 lbs. easily into low Earth orbit, but I guess it is the most cost-effective launch vehicle around today. Still, I'd like to know the inclination and orbital altitude these are set for.

 

[billslugg]

You can't even find the orbit and inclination on NASA website by cursory examination. Wiki has it right on the first page as always. SPHEREx will be 700 km in altitude, 97° inclination.