A tiny icy world may have a global atmosphere
In short: For years, scientists believed that only large planets or massive moons could hold onto an atmosphere. However, a discovery in the Kuiper Belt challenges this rule, revealing a delicate veil of gas surrounding one of the solar system's smallest objects.
Located in the vast Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune, (612533) 2002 XV93 is a minor planet—specifically a plutino—that orbits the sun twice for every three orbits Neptune completes. Despite its small size, measuring just about 300 miles (500 kilometers) across, researchers using three telescopes in Japan detected a global atmosphere bound by its gravity as it passed in front of a background star in 2024.
Situated beyond Pluto's orbit at a distance exceeding 5.5 billion kilometres (3.4 billion miles), this find is noteworthy. Compared to Earth's shield, this world's air layer is 5 million to 10 million times less dense; it also measures 50 to 100 times thinner than Pluto's gas.
The mechanism for this atmosphere remains a subject of study; researchers suggest it may have been created by either volcanic eruptions or a comet strike. The chemical composition is not yet certain, but the most likely candidates are methane, nitrogen, or carbon monoxide. If verified by future monitoring—potentially using NASA's Webb Space Telescope—this finding fundamentally changes our understanding of how small worlds in the farthest reaches of our solar system interact with their environments.
This research provides fresh insight into the ancient icy relics of the Kuiper Belt, which serve as clues to the early formation of our solar system. This suggests that complex traits can exist on small planets, contradicting the standard belief that only massive celestial bodies host atmospheres.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Bizarre Worlds NASA Discovered Beyond Pluto in the Kuiper Belt
- Also: Astronomers believe they've detected an atmosphere around a tiny, icy world beyond Pluto
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