Astronomers Spot an Atmosphere Around a World Beyond Pluto

Astronomers spot an atmosphere around a world beyond Pluto

A new study suggests that a tiny, icy world beyond Pluto harbors a thin, delicate atmosphere that may have been created by volcanic eruptions or a comet strike. ...Keep on reading: Astronomers spot an atmosphere around a world beyond Pluto

Pluto-like world’s thin atmosphere poses a mystery

Scientists are puzzling over another oddball on the edge of the solar system: This time, it’s an icy object less than a quarter of Pluto’s size with a thin atmosphere – a layer of gas that’s not typically found around objects so small. A Japanese team of researchers — including an amateur astronomer — laid out the curious case of 2002 XV93 this week in the journal Nature Astronomy. 2002 XV93 traces an elliptical path beyond the orbit of Neptune …

This tiny outer Solar System world has an atmosphere. It shouldn’t

Astronomers have spotted something surprising in the far outer Solar System—a faint, short-lived atmosphere clinging to a tiny icy world that shouldn’t be able to hold one at all. The object, called 2002XV93, is far smaller than Pluto, yet observations during a rare stellar alignment revealed its presence through a subtle dimming of starlight. Even more puzzling, calculations suggest this atmosphere should vanish within about 1,000 years unless …