NASA's SPHEREx Completes First All-Sky Infrared Map Of Entire Universe And It's Stunning

by Aaron Leong — Monday, December 29, 2025, 11:06 AM EDT

Less than a year into its mission, NASA’s SPHEREx has already completed its first full survey of the sky, producing a near-infrared map that captures the entire cosmos in a staggering 102 colors. Words can't really convey the true splendor of the achievement, though, so have a look for yourself at the panoramic video NASA released.

Unlike 'traditional' space telescopes that peer deep into tiny patches of the sky, SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer; say that fives times really fast) acts as a wide-angle lens for the universe. By scanning the entire celestial sphere every six months, the space telescope can create a comprehensive 3D census of hundreds of millions of galaxies. Earlier this month, nine months after its launch, SPHEREx's handler, JPL, released its first compilation of the universe.

The superpower of SPHEREx lies in its unique ability to perform spectroscopy across the whole sky. By breaking this light into more than 100 wavelengths, scientists can identify specific chemical fingerprints of cosmic objects. This capability has earned the telescope the nickname "the mantis shrimp of telescopes," referencing the crustacean known for multi-colored vision.

spherex map — *Dust appears in red, hot gases are in blue, as seen from this IR map captured by SPHEREx. Click to enlarge (Credit: NASA/JPL-CalTech)*

One of the primary goals of the mission is to investigate cosmic inflation, which is the rapid expansion period that occurred less than a second after the Big Bang. By mapping the 3D positions of 450 million galaxies, researchers can look for subtle patterns in the distribution of matter that were imprinted during this explosive time. These patterns hold the key to understanding the forces that shaped the early universe and the nature of dark energy, the still-mysterious influence driving the universe's current accelerated expansion.

Also, SPHEREx is surveying the Milky Way to hunt for the building blocks of life. Its infrared sensor can detect frozen water, carbon monoxide, and organic molecules trapped in the icy dust clouds where new stars and planets are born. This allows astronomers to trace how these life-essential materials are distributed throughout our galaxy, providing a map of where future habitable worlds might be forming.

Operating from a polar orbit 400 miles above Earth, the telescope utilizes an innovative cone-shaped sunshield to keep its instruments at a frigid minus-350 degrees Fahrenheit. This operating temperature is necessary to prevent the telescope’s own heat from overwhelming the faint infrared signals it seeks to capture. Over its planned two-year primary mission, SPHEREx will repeat this all-sky survey three more times, refining its data and contributing these datasets towards more targeted observations by the likes of the JWST and Nancy Grace Roman Telescope.