Does anyone know why it looks like Pluto has an atmosphere in this picture?
this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
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Short answer? Because it does. It doesn't take much to be visible compared to space.
Oh wow that's really cool! I didn't know.
It's about one millionth of the pressure of earth's atmosphere at sea level.
I don’t think any planet^1^ has surprised us more than Pluto.
^1^ I know. If anyone gets pedantic, they’re reclassified as a dwarf clown.
Pluto's atmosphere has been studied since the 1980s, using spectroscopy and stellar occultation (watching starlight flicker as Pluto passed in front of it). It wasn't a surprise when New Horizons observed it.
I wasn’t thinking about the atmosphere. I meant in general, Pluto surprised more than other first fly-bys. Uranus is obviously extra weird in a lot of ways but who was expecting Pluto to be as interesting?