NASA and Caltech are building UVEX, the Ultraviolet Explorer, a space telescope that will make deep all-sky maps in ultraviolet light, Space.com reports. It’s due to launch in 2031 and is billed as the first major ultraviolet space mission in two decades.
UVEX will look at violent events that don’t show up the same way in other wavelengths: neutron-star mergers, supernovas, and the births of neutron stars and black holes. It should also find many low-mass galaxies much closer than the ones JWST is seeing millions or billions of light-years away. Principal investigator Fiona Harrison: it will “advance fundamental frontiers in astrophysics, from understanding the smallest galaxies to diagnosing the aftermaths of neutron-star mergers and other cosmic explosions.” The mission is tagged at $590 million. It will sit alongside infrared maps from NASA’s SPHEREx and visible-light surveys from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
My take
A new set of eyes on the violent side of the sky is exciting. 2031 is a wait, but all-sky UV maps will be worth it.
God Bless, and May the Source Be with You!
