The SPHEREx Data Explorer at IRSA provides an interactive graphical user
interface (GUI) for specifying search constraints, submitting queries,
and visualizing the results of data released by SPHEREx .
More information about SPHEREx can be found on the SPHEREx Mission Page, along with pointers to more detailed documentation
such as the Explanatory Supplement. An introductory Users Guide about
the SPHEREx Archive at IRSA is available
here.
SPHEREx is a NASA Astrophysics Medium Explorer mission that launched
in March 2025. During its planned two-year mission, SPHEREx will
obtain 0.75-5 micron spectroscopy over the entire sky, with deeper
data in the SPHEREx Deep Fields.
SPHEREx has a linear variable filter (LVF), so a given position in a
calibrated (Level 2) SPHEREx image has a corresponding RA, Dec, and
wavelength. Full wavelength coverage of a given position on the sky is
built up over time, with two different wavelength regimes obtained at
the same time. Here are two different movies that attempt to
show how the images are built up. The first is simpler; the second is
a more accurate (but still idealized) representation of the data
acquisition for a given target. Two focal plane assemblies (FPAs)
simultaneously image the sky through a dichroic beam splitter, and the
telescope points at different positions to build up the spectrum of
the object.
Quick Release (QR) - the most frequent data release from SPHEREx.
The original QR was QR1.
As of 16 Oct 2025, the data you should use (and the only data
available via this tool) are QR2. It has far superior
calibration.
Level 2 - the most processed data available.
Bands - there are 6 bands:
Band 1 (sometimes called D1): wavelength 0.75-1.09 microns, R=39
Band 2 (sometimes called D2): wavelength 1.10-1.62 microns, R=41
Band 3 (sometimes called D3): wavelength 1.63-2.41 microns, R=41
Band 4 (sometimes called D4): wavelength 2.42-3.82 microns, R=35
Band 5 (sometimes called D5): wavelength 3.83-4.41 microns, R=112
Band 6 (sometimes called D6): wavelength 4.42-5.00 microns, R=128
All 6 bands are obtained at the same time but not of the
same target. (See the second movie above!) If you request
all of the data in a given image set, you will not be able to make a
3-color image, because only any 2 of the images will be of the same
part of the sky.
Bands 1 and 4 are obtained at the same time of the same part of
the sky. Similarly, Bands 2 & 5, and Bands 3 & 6 are obtained
at the same time of the same part of the sky.
Additional tools are planned to be added to the SPHEREx Data
Explorer that will aid in working with the data.
There are also Python notebooks available for working with SPHEREx data.
Tool Terminology
The words in blue rectangles at the top are 'tabs.'
This icon in the upper left pulls open a
"drawer" from the left-hand side, which enables you to add or remove tabs from this top level (see below). Most of these tabs allow searching. The side drawer also can allow
you to change the appearance (dark or light
mode) (see below).
When you have results loaded into the
SPHEREx Data Explorer, your browser window is divided into
"panes," like "window panes." The contents of the
panes depend on what you are doing with the tool, but could include
an image pane, at least one table pane, and/or a plot pane. You can
expand any of the window panes by clicking on the expand icon:
Each of the three main kinds of 'panes' in the display has its own
toolbox in its upper right corner which operates on things in that
pane, and the basic functionality for each of these panes is covered
elsewhere in this document:
The Tables section covers (among other
things) the tables toolbox
The Plots section covers (among other
things) the plots toolbox
This icon in the upper left pulls open a
"drawer" from the left-hand side; the top of it looks like this:
The highlighted bar ("Results" in this example) is the tab you have in
the foreground on your main window.
You can use this side menu to add (or remove) blue tabs from the top
of your SPHEREx Data Explorer interface. By default, Results, the Job Monitor, the Spectral Image
Search, the Spectrophotometry Tool, and the Mosaic Tool are shown.
This icon in the upper left pulls open a
"drawer" from the left-hand side; the bottom of it looks like
this:
This controls the appearance of the tool in your browser -- do you
want it to run as light mode, dark mode, or respect whatever
preferences you have set on your system? Try out the different modes;
you may have a preference!
In the far upper right, there is a link to log in. The SPHEREx Data
Explorer can remember you when you return. See the user registration section for more information.
The "Help" icon leads you into this
online help. There are also context-sensitive help markers throughout
the tools (). You can also download a PDF
version of this manual; look at the top left of the help window. (The
PDF may be easier to search than the web pages; use your PDF reader's
search function.)
Found a bug? The known bugs and
issues in this version of the SPHEREx Data Explorer are listed here . If
you think you have found a bug, before reporting it, please check this
list, and read this online SPHEREx Data Explorer help. It may be a
"feature" we already know about. If you have found a new, real bug,
then please do contact us via the IRSA Help Desk . Please include your operating system version and
your browser software and version. If you can, please also include
any specific error message you may have gotten. (NB: In our testing,
copying shortcuts worked on Windows and Linux; Command-C did not
always work on Macs, but selecting and clicking the right mouse button
often did when Command-C did not.)
available for working with SPHEREx data.
pulls open a
"drawer" from the left-hand side, which enables you to add or remove tabs from this top level (see below). Most of these tabs allow searching. The side drawer also can allow
you to change the appearance (dark or light
mode) (see below). 
leads you into this
online help. There are also context-sensitive help markers throughout
the tools (
). You can also download a PDF
version of this manual; look at the top left of the help window. (The
PDF may be easier to search than the web pages; use your PDF reader's
search function.)