SPHEREx: Zooming Out to See the Big Picture - Jamie Bock - 03/15/2024

Moments after the Big Bang, our Universe began to rapidly expand in a process known as inflation--but how and why did it happen? How are water and other pre-biotic molecules delivered to early planets and star systems like our own Solar System? Join us for a 30-minute lecture discussing the upcoming NASA SPHEREx mission and its science goals, followed by a panel Q&A consisting of several astrophysicists to answer your questions about astrophysics and space science. Timestamps below:

00:00 Announcements
5:34 Intro to SPHEREx Presentation
6:28 SPHEREx Presentation
40:40 Q&A for SPHEREx Presentation
41:10 "How much data is stored from NASA SPHEREx?"
41:56 "Where is SPHEREx launching from?"
42:29 "How is the SPHEREx data organized?"
44:07 "Will NASA budget cuts affect SPHEREx?"
45:52 Intermission
50:07 Q&A Panel Introductions
52:23 "Do you think dark energy and dark matter really exist?"
56:29 "Are solar panels sufficient to power SPHEREx?"
58:24 "Given its small aperture, how do SPHEREx achieve high resolution?"
59:55 "What is in the voids between galaxies?"
1:03:01 "What is a data product (image/spectrum) from SPHEREx?"
1:05:05 "What happens to SPHEREx after its 2-year lifetime?"
1:06:05 "How does SPHEREx compare with James Webb?"
1:08:21 "What are the major science goals of SPHEREx?"
1:09:41 "Does time move faster earlier in the Universe?"
1:14:18 "Did Korea or other nations contribute to SPHEREx?
1:16:49 "How far does a gravitational force formally extend?"
1:20:26 "How much does the SPHEREx rocket cost?"
1:21:39 "Will galaxies in a cluster collide and form into a single object?"
1:24:18 "How did you come up with the idea for SPHEREx?"
1:25:48 "How crowded is near earth orbit?"
1:29:29 "Are there any scientific discoveries you all hope to make over your careers?"
1:34:41 "Who made the free-form glass being used on SPHEREx?"
1:35:10 "What was the silvery metal coating the shields?"
1:35:35 "Is everyday work in astrophysics fast-paced or slow-paced?"
1:38:08 "How do we know about the universe in the first moments after the Big Bang?"
1:40:02 "Why are gravitational waves generated for moving black holes?"
1:43:38 "What have been challenges for SPHEREx?"
1:45:06 "What should children who want to be astrophysicists prepare?"
1:50:08 "What may be challenges for SPHEREx after launch?"
1:52:26 Concluding Remarks

For more information about the NASA SPHEREx mission, see:
https://spherex.caltech.edu/

Title: SPHEREx: Zooming Out to See the Big Picture
Lecturer: Jamie Bock
Abstract:
SPHEREx is a NASA space telescope that will observe the sky in near-infrared light, taking images that cover the entire sky four times over its 2-year mission. The telescope incorporates a novel spectrograph for splitting the incoming light into its constituent colors, providing a detailed picture of the whole sky across 102 infrared color bands. This unique dataset will provide insight on everything from how our solar system formed to the very origin of our universe. SPHEREx will survey the abundance of water ice in the early formation of planetary systems, chart the light produced by galaxies over cosmic history, and probe the exotic physics associated with the Big Bang. Having recently completed assembly and testing, the scientific instrument is beginning integration with the spacecraft in preparation for a launch in early 2025.

Photo Credit: NASA / Caltech