The former planet of our solar system Pluto has gained the spotlight yet again after an international team of astronomers made surprising revelations in a new study. Also consisting of scientists from India, the team revealed that Pluto’s atmospheric pressure is 80,000 times less than the atmospheric pressure at mean sea level on Earth.
According to a release by the Ministry of Science and Technology, this is the most accurate value of the ex-planet’s atmospheric pressure to date.
Study offers new insights into Pluto
The study is based on the data calculated using the 3.6-m Devasthal optical telescope (DOT), which is India’s largest optical telescope, and the1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) located at Devasthal, Nainital. According to the study, the pressure was calculated after observing Pluto’s stellar occultation– a phenomenon that occurs when a celestial comes between an observer and another celestial object. The research team studied Pluto’s atmosphere during 12 occultations that occurred between 1988 and 2016.
Observations revealed that the atmospheric pressure at its surface was 12.23 μbar, which is about 80,000 times less than the pressure felt here on Earth. Moreover, it was also found that the pressure at the surface is close to the seasonal peak of Pluto.
Pluto suffers intense seasonal episodes, study finds
In addition to the accurate atmospheric pressure value, the team was also able to confirm that Pluto suffers intense seasonal episodes because of a large depression called Sputnik Planitia. Moreover, the astronomers also noted that Pluto’s poles still remain in permanent darkness or permanent sunlight during its 248 Earth-years-long orbital periods. This leads to strong effects on its Nitrogen (N2) atmosphere which causes seasonal variability in Pluto’s atmospheric pressure.
“Pluto is now moving away from the Galactic plane as seen from Earth, stellar occultations by the dwarf planet are becoming increasingly rare, making this event a decisive one”, the release said. The experts, including those from India’s from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), have published their research in ‘Astrophysical Journal Letters’.
Image: NASA
The former planet of our solar system Pluto has gained the spotlight yet again after an international team of astronomers made surprising revelations in a new study. Also consisting of scientists from India, the team revealed that Pluto’s atmospheric pressure is 80,000 times less than the atmospheric pressure at mean sea level on Earth. According to a release by the Ministry of Science and Technology, this is the most accurate value of the ex-planet’s atmospheric pressure to date. Study offers new insights into Pluto The study is based on the data calculated using the 3.6-m Devasthal optical telescope (DOT), which is India’s largest optical telescope, and the1.3-m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) located at Devasthal, Nainital. According to the study, the pressure was calculated after observing Pluto’s stellar occultation– a phenomenon that occurs when a celestial comes between an observer and another celestial object. The research team studied Pluto’s atmosphere during 12 occultations that occurred between 1988 and 2016. Observations revealed that the atmospheric pressure at its surface was 12.23 μbar, which is about 80,000 times less than the pressure felt here on Earth. Moreover, it was also found that the pressure at the surface is close to the seasonal peak of Pluto. Pluto suffers intense seasonal episodes, study finds In addition to the accurate atmospheric pressure value, the team was also able to confirm that Pluto suffers intense seasonal episodes because of a large depression called Sputnik Planitia. Moreover, the astronomers also noted that Pluto’s poles still remain in permanent darkness or permanent sunlight during its 248 Earth-years-long orbital periods. This leads to strong effects on its Nitrogen (N2) atmosphere which causes seasonal variability in Pluto’s atmospheric pressure. “Pluto is now moving away from the Galactic plane as seen from Earth, stellar occultations by the dwarf planet are becoming increasingly rare, making this event a decisive one”, the release said. The experts, including those from India’s from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), have published their research in ‘Astrophysical Journal Letters’. Image: NASA