Scientists Found An 'Impossible' Atmosphere on A Tiny World Beyond Neptune

Astronomers detected a very thin atmosphere on the small Kuiper belt object 2002 XV93 using a stellar occultation.

Observers in Japan saw the object pass in front of a distant star, and the light-curve pattern fit atmospheric refraction.

The team modeled the atmosphere at about 100 to 200 nanobars, far thinner than Earth’s but still detectable.

The result suggests tiny icy bodies may keep atmospheres much longer than expected and expands a new way to study faint outer Solar System objects.