Public domain
SPHEREx Vela Molecular Ridge
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This image of the Vela Molecular Ridge was captured by NASA's SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) and was part of the mission's first public data release on July 2, 2025. The yellow patch at right is RCW 36, an emission nebula – a cloud of interstellar gas and dust that glows in some infrared colors due to radiation from nearby stars. SPHEREx detects 102 infrared wavelengths, or colors, that aren't visible to the human eye.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineSPHEREx Vela Molecular Ridge. NASA/JPL, 2025-07-02. Public domain. ID: PIA26354.
