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A small object past Pluto may have a thin atmosphere

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"There is no planet B [habitable to human beings]."

"I would never say we can never reach the stars and possible habitable planets."

"The discovery of Gliese 12 b is a stepping stone towards finding potentially habitable planets."

"[W]e're more likely to detect planets in the habitable zone with TESS [NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite]."

Will We Find Another Inhabitable Planet?

Japanese astronomers have detected a thin atmosphere around (612533) 2002 XV93, a trans-Neptunian object roughly 310 miles (500 km) in diameter, making it only the second object beyond Neptune known to host an atmosphere, after Pluto.

Japanese astronomers have detected a thin atmosphere around (612533) 2002 XV93, a trans-Neptunian object roughly 310 miles (500 km) in diameter, making it only the second object beyond Neptune known to host an atmosphere, after Pluto.

The object orbits the sun at approximately 40 times Earth's distance and completes one orbit every 247 years. It is classified as a plutino, sharing an orbital resonance with Neptune similar to Pluto's.

The object orbits the sun at approximately 40 times Earth's distance and completes one orbit every 247 years. It is classified as a plutino, sharing an orbital resonance with Neptune similar to Pluto's.

Researchers calculated a surface pressure of 100 to 200 nanobars for the atmosphere — roughly 5 to 10 million times thinner than Earth's and 50 to 100 times thinner than Pluto's. The atmosphere is believed to consist primarily of methane, nitrogen or carbon monoxide.

Researchers calculated a surface pressure of 100 to 200 nanobars for the atmosphere — roughly 5 to 10 million times thinner than Earth's and 50 to 100 times thinner than Pluto's. The atmosphere is believed to consist primarily of methane, nitrogen or carbon monoxide.

The atmosphere was detected during a stellar occultation on Jan. 10, 2024, when the object passed in front of a distant star. Astronomers at three sites across Japan recorded a gradual dimming of starlight, indicating the presence of an atmosphere bending the light.

The atmosphere was detected during a stellar occultation on Jan. 10, 2024, when the object passed in front of a distant star. Astronomers at three sites across Japan recorded a gradual dimming of starlight, indicating the presence of an atmosphere bending the light.

Researchers proposed two explanations for the atmosphere: ongoing cryovolcanic activity releasing gases from the object's interior, or a recent comet impact that expelled subsurface gases. Models suggest the atmosphere could dissipate within a few hundred to a thousand years without replenishment.

Researchers proposed two explanations for the atmosphere: ongoing cryovolcanic activity releasing gases from the object's interior, or a recent comet impact that expelled subsurface gases. Models suggest the atmosphere could dissipate within a few hundred to a thousand years without replenishment.

Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, lead scientist on NASA's New Horizons mission, called the finding "an amazing development" that "sorely needs independent verification." Both Stern and Spanish astronomer Jose-Luis Ortiz called for further observations, including with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, lead scientist on NASA's New Horizons mission, called the finding "an amazing development" that "sorely needs independent verification." Both Stern and Spanish astronomer Jose-Luis Ortiz called for further observations, including with the James Webb Space Telescope.

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The Space Race

Detection of an atmosphere on a trans-Neptunian object beyond Pluto

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