Pluto is slowly losing its atmosphere
Pluto's atmosphere, already very thin, is largely made up of nitrogen with small amounts of methane and carbon monoxide. The falling temperatures on the surface, due to the constant distance from the Sun, seem to be causing nitrogen freezing, resulting in a thinning of the atmosphere. The assessment was done using what is known as occultation: using a distant star as the backlight for telescopes on Earth to get a glimpse of what is happening on Pluto. It is a proven observation technique, widely used in astronomy.Pluto's atmosphere is created by vaporized ice on the surface, with small temperature changes that lead to significant changes in the apparent density of the atmosphere. The largest known nitrogen glacier is Sputnik Planitia, the western part of the heart-shaped Tombaugh Regio area visible on Pluto's surface.
One of the images of Pluto sent to Earth by New Horizons
The dwarf planet currently takes 248 Earth years to make an orbit around the Sun, at some point approaching up to 30 astronomical units from the Sun, or 30 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. This distance as mentioned is growing , leaving Pluto with less sunlight and lower temperatures. The increase in atmospheric density noted in 2015 is most likely due to thermal inertia - residual heat trapped in nitrogen glaciers that has a delayed reaction with respect to the increasing distance between Pluto and the Sun.
Pluto may no longer be considered a planet - still a source of some controversy among experts - but it remains a planetary body of interest to astronomers. We keep learning new information about this distant rock. In recent years, astronomers have been able to ascertain that there are snow-capped mountains on Pluto and liquid oceans beneath its surface - two discoveries that can tell us more about how the dwarf planet's atmosphere works.
Pluto is slowly losing its atmosphere – Space
Pluto’s already thin atmosphere consists mostly of nitrogen and small amounts of methane and carbon monoxide. As Pluto’s surface temperature drops, nitrogen freezes, causing the planet’s atmosphere to slowly disappear.
These observations were made using what is called astrology, or process, when what is happening on a planet is observed using the light of a distant star. It’s a proven and widely used technique in astronomy, the Science Alert website writes.
Occultists have used it since 1998 to study changes in Pluto’s atmosphere. In 2015, the New Horizons probe provided an excellent Pluto atmospheric density profile, showing that Pluto’s atmosphere doubles every ten years. Planetary scientist Eliot Young said:
Pluto’s atmosphere is the result of ice evaporating from the planet’s surface. The largest known nitrogen glacier is the Sputnik Plain.
Pluto currently takes 248 Earth days to revolve around the Sun. At its closest point, Pluto is 30 astronomical units closer to the Sun. One astronomical unit is the distance from the Sun to the Earth.
This distance is now increased when Pluto steals sunlight, which in turn lowers the temperature on the planet’s surface.
Pluto is a dwarf planet of great interest to astronomers. New information about this remote object is constantly being obtained. Scientists have discovered in recent years that there are snow-capped mountains on Pluto and liquid oceans beneath the planet’s surface. These results allow scientists to better understand how Pluto’s atmosphere works.
The new study was published in the scientific journal “Annual Meeting of the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society.”