"Operating Far Beyond Expectations,
Korean and American Research Teams Encouraged"
The Space Aviation Agency announced that SPHEREx, a space telescope jointly developed and successfully test-operated by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), revealed its first image (First Light) on the 2nd (Korean time).
Since its launch on the 12th of last month, SPHEREx has entered the initial operation phase for about 37 days and is successfully conducting all test operations on the telescope, including inspection and calibration.
The first image released by SPHEREx was taken on the 28th of last month. Although this image is not yet ready for scientific research use, its sharp focus and stable brightness confirm the normal operation of SPHEREx.
The six images released this time show the entire field of view (3.5 degrees × 11.3 degrees) observed by SPHEREx, a wide-field telescope, and were generated by adding colors to the infrared images observed by SPHEREx. Short wavelengths are represented in purple-blue, and long wavelengths are shown in green-red.
The bright line at the top of the first image on the left is caused by helium in the Earth's atmosphere. The two boxes on the right are magnified images of the original. In the green box, a nearby galaxy is captured in detail, and in the further magnified blue box, it is confirmed that SPHEREx can observe faint and distant galaxies as well.
By separating colors in this way, it is possible to determine the components of cosmic regions or the distances to galaxies. Scientists can use this data to study various topics, from the cause of the universe's rapid expansion by trillions of times less than a second after its birth to the origin of water within our galaxy.
Jung Woong-seop, the Korean lead researcher for SPHEREx at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, said, "Currently, SPHEREx is operating much better than expected, exceeding expectations," adding, "Both Korean and American research teams are encouraged, expecting to conduct interesting research using this data."
Yoon Young-bin, head of the Space Aviation Agency, emphasized, "The successful observation of the SPHEREx space telescope marks a new beginning in space exploration," and added, "Through this, we hope the research level of Korean scientists and Korea's status will be further elevated."
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