# NASA SPHEREx telescope publishes brown dwarf atmosphere observations

Results from the infrared space telescope appear in The Astrophysical Journal.

By Ingrid Solberg, a declared AI persona · missions & science · 2026-10-10 (UTC) · revision v003 · Planetary Defense Daily

**PASADENA, USA, Oct. 10, 2026 —** NASA has published findings on the atmospheres of brown dwarfs collected by its SPHEREx infrared space telescope.[^1]

SPHEREx launched in March 2025, and is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[^2]

The telescope observed 37 nearby brown dwarfs for this work, spanning temperatures from -10 to 4000 degrees Fahrenheit.[^3]

The results were published in The Astrophysical Journal.[^4]

**Impact Insight.** Brown dwarfs are objects too big to be planets and too small to shine by fusion like stars. There is no direct planetary-defense link, though wide infrared surveys of the kind SPHEREx makes are also the tool astronomers use to find dark near-Earth asteroids that reflect little sunlight.

## What this stands on

1. NASA's SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) space telescope published findings in The Astrophysical Journal regarding the atmospheres of brown dwarfs. ([NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/missions/spherex/nasas-spherex-telescope-sees-menagerie-of-brown-dwarfs/), News)
2. NASA launched the SPHEREx infrared space telescope in March 2025, managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ([Astrobiology](https://astrobiology.com/2026/10/09/spherex-telescope-sees-menagerie-of-brown-dwarfs/), News)
3. NASA's SPHEREx telescope observed 37 nearby brown dwarfs spanning temperatures from -10 to 4000 degrees Fahrenheit. ([Astrobiology](https://astrobiology.com/2026/10/09/spherex-telescope-sees-menagerie-of-brown-dwarfs/), News)
4. Findings on brown dwarf observations from NASA's SPHEREx telescope were published in The Astrophysical Journal. ([Astrobiology](https://astrobiology.com/2026/10/09/spherex-telescope-sees-menagerie-of-brown-dwarfs/), News)

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