This Tiny Celestial Body Past Pluto Shouldn't Have an Atmosphere—but Astronomers Say They May Have Detected One
The fading starlight suggests a gas layer around the 500-kilometer object, which would be rare for a trans-Neptunian body.
- On May 4, 2026, Japanese astronomers published findings in Nature Astronomy revealing a thin atmosphere surrounding the trans-Neptunian object 2002 XV93, challenging long-held beliefs that small, icy worlds cannot sustain atmospheric layers.
- Researchers identified the atmosphere by analyzing data from January 10, 2024, when 2002 XV93 passed in front of a distant star; the star's light dimmed gradually rather than vanishing instantly, signaling atmospheric presence.
- The object measures approximately 300 miles in diameter, with an atmosphere believed to be 5 million to 10 million times thinner than Earth's, which lead researcher Ko Arimatsu of Japan's National Astronomical Observatory describes as highly fragile.
- Scientists hypothesize that internal cryovolcanoes or recent impacts replenish escaping gases, yet observations by the James Webb Space Telescope detected no frozen surface gases, leaving the atmosphere's exact origin uncertain.
- This discovery challenges standard assumptions that small, distant icy worlds remain inactive; Southwest Research Institute scientist Alan Stern called the findings profound but emphasized they require independent verification.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Pluto-Like World's Thin Atmosphere Poses a Mystery for Astronomers
Astronomers 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.
Surprising signs of an atmosphere around a tiny world, billions of miles away - The Boston Globe
A small world about 300 miles wide and 3.5 billion miles from the sun — nearly as far away as Pluto — appears to be swaddled in a layer of air, astronomers reported Monday.
Scientists have found another world with an atmosphere
Scientists studying a region of outer space near Pluto have discovered the unexpected: a celestial body that has an atmosphere. It was previously believed that extremely tiny objects in space were incapable of hosting atmospheres. The finding could unlock new revelations about planets in our solar system millions of miles away. What did scientists discover? The atmospheric discovery of the world, called a trans-Neptunian object (TNO), was descri…
This Tiny Celestial Body Past Pluto Shouldn't Have an Atmosphere—but Astronomers Say They May Have Detected One
Worlds this small and distant are thought to be too cold and have too little surface gravity to hold onto gases. But the findings suggest that icy, rocky objects in the solar system's outer reaches are more dynamic than we thought
This Tiny World in the Outer Solar System Should Be Airless, but It Has an Atmosphere
A tiny world in our Solar System has an atmosphere it shouldn’t—hinting something dramatic happened there recently. A group of Japanese astronomers, including both professionals and amateur observers, has found signs of a thin atmosphere surrounding a small object far beyond Neptune. The discovery is surprising because the object is so small that it should [...]
A small frozen world that is further from the Sun than Pluto seems to have atmosphere, according to a new study.The observation has surprised astronomers.A small world about 480 km wide and located 5.6 billion kilometers from the Sun, almost as far away as Pluto, seems to be wrapped in an air layer, according to a group of astronomers on Monday.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
