Tiny Space Rock With Atmosphere Stuns Scientists
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Astronomers have made a surprising discovery in the Kuiper Belt, a frigid region of space beyond Neptune. A small icy rock named 2002 XV93 has been found to have its own atmosphere. This is unexpected because the object is only about 310 miles (500 km) wide. That is about seven times smaller than our Moon. Usually, an object that small does not have enough gravity to hold onto gases. They simply drift away into space.
The study was led by Ko Arimatsu from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. His team used a technique called stellar occultation, which involves watching the object pass in front of a distant star. Instead of the star's light disappearing instantly, it faded out slowly. This can happen when an object is surrounded by gas. The gas bends and scatters the light as it passes through. This suggests that 2002 XV93 likely has an atmosphere. Before this, only larger bodies like Pluto were known to have atmospheres in this region.
"This discovery suggests that the traditional idea that global dense atmospheres form only around larger planets must be revised," said Arimatsu's team.
The source of the atmosphere remains a mystery. Some scientists suggest 2002 XV93 may have ice volcanoes that release gas into space. Others believe the object was struck by another space rock in the recent past, which could have freed trapped gases. If that is the case, the atmosphere may be temporary and could dissipate within about a thousand years. Researchers are also unsure what the atmosphere is made of. It could include methane or nitrogen. The study was published in Nature Astronomy on May 6, 2026.
Resources: NPR.org, Earthsky.org, Space.com
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51 Comments
luffy19about 1 monthI wonder if in the near future we can visit there
fupolyrowezeabout 1 monthMaybe we can live there
ilovehenrydsaf29 daysIt also lacks essentials like water and food. Plus, I doubt that it even has a good enough atmosphere to support human life. Or any life at all, to be frank.
itsokabout 1 monthit would be too small
gimkitloverabout 1 monthcool!
labubujew123about 1 monthcool
animecat11about 1 monthmaybe its made of OXYGEN!
iam_72auishdfasabout 1 monthnot every single atmosphere is made of oxygen, for example, jupiter's atmosphere is made out of helium and hydrogen
johnmarstonabout 1 monthAlmost impossible, with what the video shows there is no star acting as a sun, so it could not serve as a hospitable planet, also there is no nature from what we can see. So no, sadly near impossible.
dog88about 1 monthDoes it have an environment to support life?- ilovehenrydsaf29 daysMost definitely not. In order to support life, it needs decent temperatures and water. Probably some other things I'm forgetting, too.
- itsokabout 1 monthprobably not, since it can't hold its atmosphere
- rose13about 1 monthThat is so sick! lol
- luffy19about 1 monthI can't believe that there are ice volcanoes!
- rose13about 1 monthThat is so cool!!!1
amethystfromgdabout 1 monthThat is crazy, cant wait to see what happens next!
