this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
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(Old) picture of Pluto captured by the New Horizons spacecraft (sopuli.xyz)
submitted 5 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Does anyone know why it looks like Pluto has an atmosphere in this picture?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 hours 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?