Module 02 · 5 min · Beginner
The 102 Colours
What spectral channels represent
Try it: step through the 102 channels
Real tile1.905 µm
Frame 40 — watch which structures brighten or fade.
B1 0.75B2 1.11B3 1.66B4 2.44B5 3.83B6 4.434.99 µm
01
A spectrum for every pixel
SPHEREx uses linear variable filters across six detector bands, building up 102 channels from 0.75 to 5 µm as the sky drifts across the focal plane.
02
Bands and channels
Frame index = 17 × (band − 1) + (channel − 1). Frames 50 and 51 sit on the dichroic boundary and are blank in the DR1 cube.
03
Resolution
Spectral resolving power R ≈ 35–130 depending on band — enough for broad molecular and ice features, not for narrow lines.