Anonymousabout 8 hours ago
Japanese astronomers have detected a thin atmosphere around (612533) 2002 XV93, a 500-kilometer trans-Neptunian object orbiting 39 AU from the Sun — making it the smallest and first non-Pluto body in the Kuiper Belt confirmed to possess atmospheric gases. The atmosphere, with a surface pressure of just 100 to 200 nanobars, should dissipate within a thousand years, raising questions about whether ice volcanoes or a recent impact are actively replenishing it.