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SPHEREx spots brown dwarfs with water and methane in atmospheres
NASA's SPHEREx space telescope has revealed new insights into brown dwarfs, mysterious celestial objects that exist in the transitional space between stars and giant planets. Recent findings published in The Astrophysical Journal demonstrate that these dark, cloudy bodies possess chemically complex atmospheres containing water and methane. This research helps scientists better understand the atmospheric composition of objects that blur the line between stellar bodies and exoplanets. The capabilities of SPHEREx allow for unprecedented spectroscopic analysis of these distant and difficult-to-observe worlds.