NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery about Pluto’s atmosphere, finding that its hazy sky plays a crucial role in cooling down the dwarf planet’s environment. The telescope detected thermal mid-infrared emission from the haze, which is composed of solid aerosols suspended high in the atmosphere.
The haze absorbs ultraviolet sunlight and gains enough energy to escape into space, giving methane and other organic molecules a boost out of Pluto’s atmosphere. This process also affects Charon, Pluto’s close companion, staining its poles red with organic chemistry.
According to planetary scientist Xi Zhang, the discovery was predicted back in 2017 to explain why Pluto’s thin atmosphere is so leaky. The haze acts as an energy source for atmospheric molecules, allowing them to escape into space and giving Pluto a unique climate system dominated by cycles of sublimation and freezing out of molecular nitrogen.
The study suggests that the haze controls the balance of energy in Pluto’s atmosphere, affecting global temperatures, atmospheric circulation, and what passes for climate on the frigid dwarf planet. Understanding Pluto’s atmosphere could potentially teach us something about our own planet’s beginnings, as its composition is similar to that of Saturn’s moon Titan and early Earth.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy on June 2, providing new insights into the mysterious world of Pluto.
Source: https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/plutos-hazy-skies-are-making-the-dwarf-planet-even-colder-james-webb-space-telescope-finds