An atmosphere around a tiny, icy world beyond Pluto

7 hours ago

Astronomers detected a thin atmosphere around a small icy world beyond Pluto using telescopic observations during a star occultation event.
The object, only about 300 miles across, is the smallest solar system body found with a global atmosphere, challenging previous assumptions about atmospheric presence.
The atmosphere is extremely thin, millions of times less dense than Earth's, and likely composed of methane, nitrogen, or carbon monoxide from volcanic activity or comet impacts.
The discovery, made in the Kuiper Belt, requires verification with further observations, potentially from the Webb Space Telescope, to confirm atmospheric composition and origin.
This finding expands understanding of distant solar system objects and suggests atmospheres may exist on more small worlds than previously thought.

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