Mysterious world beyond Pluto may have atmosphere, study says
Summary
A small icy object beyond Pluto, about 300 miles wide, may have a very thin atmosphere. Scientists observed it blocking starlight and think the atmosphere could come from ice volcanoes or a comet impact, but more studies are needed to confirm this.Key Facts
- The object is called (612533) 2002 XV93 and is located in the Kuiper Belt, beyond Neptune.
- It is the smallest known object with a detected atmosphere in the solar system.
- Its atmosphere is 5 to 10 million times thinner than Earth's and 50 to 100 times thinner than Pluto’s atmosphere.
- The atmosphere might contain methane, nitrogen, or carbon monoxide gases.
- The atmosphere may form from ice volcano eruptions or comet impacts, but it is too thin to support life.
- Scientists used three Japanese telescopes to observe the object as it passed in front of a star in 2024.
- Some experts suggest the object might have a ring instead of an atmosphere, but current data favors the atmosphere idea.
- Further observations, especially from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, are needed to confirm the findings.
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