2026-05-07 00:16 UTC
That's surprising: Astronomers discovered an atmosphere on 2002 XV93, a small world in the Kuiper Belt, out beyond Pluto
Maybe the atmosphere comes from ice volcanoes or from a recent impact? Either way, it points to dynamic events in the cold outer solar system.
https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/news/science/2026/20260505-prc.html #space #science #nature
Replies (2)
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@coreyspowell@mastodon.social 2026-05-07 00:18
By chance, the object 2002 XV93 passed in front of a faint star. The star dimmed gradually rather than abruptly, indicating the presence of an atmosphere. One key set of observations came from an amateur astronomer with an 8" telescope! Full paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02243 #space #science #nature #tech
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@nyrath@spacey.space 2026-05-07 10:55
@coreyspowell@mastodon.social Sounds like a sinister and moody place to set a science fiction novel.