Pluto's Atmosphere Shrinks 16% as Dwarf Planet Moves Farther From the Sun
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 4
Pluto's Atmosphere Shrinks 16% as Dwarf Planet Moves Farther From the Sun
2 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 4
Summary
A new Planetary Science Journal study found Pluto’s atmospheric pressure and size clearly deflated by as much as 16% by 2022, after staying roughly stable through about 2021.
10 stellar occultations recorded from 2017 to 2023, compared with New Horizons’ 2015 flyby data, showed the decline as Pluto recedes from the Sun and its nitrogen atmosphere appears to cool and freeze out.
The results extend a longer trend in which Pluto’s atmosphere grew from 1988 to 2015, then plateaued before the recent drop began taking hold.
Researchers said the change could mark the first signs of atmospheric collapse on Pluto, though more observations over coming years and decades are needed to confirm the trend.
Pluto will not start moving closer to the Sun again until 2114, giving astronomers a long window to track whether the atmosphere keeps thinning at greater distance.