Thanks to the SPHEREx Space Observatory. Shortly after its mission launched in March 2025, NASA’s high-tech eye was able to capture the entire sky in an unprecedented spectrum of 102 infrared colors. The result is a large-scale 3D map that reveals the chemical “fingerprints” of hundreds of millions of cosmic objects, invisible to the human eye.
Unlike its predecessors, which focused on narrow swaths of the sky, SPHEREx operates as a wide-angle lens, scanning the entire sky every six months. In December 2025, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) released the first massive dataset, including more than 450 million galaxies. This all-sky spectroscopy allows scientists to trace the evolution of the cosmos and search for traces of water and organic molecules even in the most remote corners of the Milky Way.
The observatory's design is a true engineering masterpiece. Located in a polar orbit, it is protected by a three-layer cone-shaped shield that maintains a critical temperature of -210°C. This “icy mode“ is vital so that the telescope's own heat does not drown out the extremely faint infrared signals coming from the depths of the Universe.
Over the next year, SPHEREx will perform three more full scans, refining every point on its map. The data from the mission will not only help us understand how everything began after the Big Bang, but will also serve as an invaluable guide for future studies with the James Webb Telescope. In the world of science, this achievement is equivalent to the transition from black and white photography to ultra-high resolution in millions of shades. See more.
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