Pluto's Atmosphere Freezes as It Moves Away from the Sun
TL;DR
Pluto’s nitrogen‑rich atmosphere is starting to condense into frost as it drifts farther from the Sun on its 248‑year orbit. Surface temperatures are about -382°F (-230°C) and the upper atmosphere around -333°F (-203°C). Observations of ten stellar occultations from 2017–2023 show atmospheric pressure has declined ~16% since 2021 (likely haze settling to lower latitudes). NASA’s New Horizons had measured a baseline atmospheric pressure of about 10 microbars in 2015. Pluto’s aphelion will occur in 2114 at ~49 AU, and the atmosphere isn’t expected to be fully frozen by then; frost could sublimate and the atmosphere thicken again as Pluto heads back toward the Sun.
- Pluto's atmosphere is collapsing as it drifts away from the sun into a deep freeze Space
- Scientists Watch as a Distant World's Atmosphere Shrinks and Thins Universe Today
- Pluto‘s Atmosphere Has Begun to Disintegrate as It Moves Away from the Sun The European Times
- Pluto’s Atmosphere May Finally Be Starting to Collapse Gizmodo
- Pluto's hazy atmosphere may be collapsing as it moves farther from the sun Phys.org
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on Space