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The Lower Atmosphere of Pluto Revealed

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the they-should-buy-a-space-heater-haha-get-it-so-funny-blam-blam dept.

Matt_dk writes "Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have gained valuable new insights about the atmosphere of the dwarf planet Pluto. The scientists found unexpectedly large amounts of methane in the atmosphere, and also discovered that the atmosphere is hotter than the surface by about 40 degrees, although it still only reaches a frigid minus 180 degrees Celsius. These properties of Pluto's atmosphere may be due to the presence of pure methane patches or of a methane-rich layer covering the dwarf planet's surface."

6 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, Pluto and "hot" in the same sentence. by Ihlosi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What's next, cold spots on Venus (i.e. cold enough that lead is almost solid again)?

  2. Re:Correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    6gaireohvjn3rehnv5rje6oahgre

    That's my head slamming into the keyboard, by the way.

    It *is* a dwarf planet, that's the whole point.

    Also, saying "fixed that for you" does not make you sound clever. It makes you sound like an asshole.

  3. So... by FlyByPC · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Given that it has both a moon and an atmosphere, are they going to admit that it's a planet (albeit a weird one) -- or do we let the definition become so strict that soon nothing qualifies as a planet anymore?

    --
    Paleotechnologist and connoisseur of pretty shiny things.
    1. Re:So... by wooferhound · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Earth will Always be a planet and all other space objects will be compared against it.
      If we get too picky then Earth will be the Only planet as nothing else will fit the description of Earth.

      --
      We are Dead Stars looking back Up at the Sky
  4. Re:liquid methane by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    wouldn't methane at -180C be in liquid form? (boiling point is -161C)

    What makes you think the pressure on Pluto is the same as on Earth? I would assume the pressure even at the surface is close to zero.

  5. Re:Eris by Nazlfrag · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's not the size, its the shape and clearing of orbit. If we drop the clearing orbit and Pluto and Eris are in the club, so should be Ceres, Makemake and Haumea at least. I would like them all to go back to planet status, but it's unlikely. It's all the fault of Eris anyway, they wouldn't have reclassified poor Pluto if she was a little slimmer.

    Pluto will always remain a planet to me. I'll start calling it a dwarf planet around the time I call 2^10 bytes a kibibyte or when hell freezes over, whichever comes first.