SPHEREx, a compact NASA telescope launching soon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, aims to explore the origins of the universe through the theory of cosmic inflation, which suggests a rapid expansion post-big bang. With the capability to survey the entire sky in 102 wavelengths, it seeks to create a 3D map that captures the distribution of approximately 450 million galaxies. By analyzing how these galaxies cluster and evolve over time, researchers hope to uncover insights on the early universe, ultimately refining inflation theories as they gather extensive cosmic data.
'How can you ask a bigger question than 'What was it like at the origin of the universe?' said Phil Korngut, an astrophysicist at Caltech and the SPHEREx instrument scientist.'
'By looking at the distribution of galaxies across large swaths of the sky, scientists hope to discern evidence about how the early universe looked before it became cosmically large.'
'This kind of cosmic expansion would not have been slow and steady. Inflation is an unimaginably faster.'
'The goal of SPHEREx is to gather large amounts of data on the positions of galaxies relative to one another in a large volume of cosmic space.'
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