"The researchers say they've identified a minor planet only about 311 miles across - roughly a fifth of Pluto's diameter - that's wrapped in an extremely thin envelope of gases."
"As it passed in front of the distant background star, Arimatsu and his colleagues saw the starlight gradually fade away, suggesting the presence of an atmosphere since if it didn't have one, the light would be cut off far more abruptly."
"If confirmed, the research could force us to reconsider how atmospheres can form around small objects, and what other mysterious neighbors we might expect to find in the Kuiper Belt."
A team of Japanese astronomers has identified a second trans-Neptunian object (TNO) with an atmosphere, following Pluto. The object, named 2002 XV93, is about 311 miles across and located billions of miles from Earth. Observations during a stellar occultation revealed a gradual fading of starlight, indicating the presence of an atmosphere. This finding could lead to a reevaluation of how atmospheres form around small celestial bodies and suggest the existence of other similar objects in the Kuiper Belt.
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