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submitted 6 months ago by Sibbo@sopuli.xyz to c/space@lemmy.world

Does anyone know why it looks like Pluto has an atmosphere in this picture?

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[-] wjrii@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago

Short answer? Because it does. It doesn't take much to be visible compared to space.

[-] ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago

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.

[-] FaceDeer@fedia.io 0 points 6 months ago

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.

[-] ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

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?

this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
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