Tiny Space Rock With Atmosphere Stuns Scientists
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
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
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
46 Comments
- lebykamafojy1 dayso cool
sojibinafyru1 daythat sounds cool guys
randomoreolover1 daywell, that sounds exciting but I cant go into space sadly :((((((((
ichauabout 6 hoursMe too
khalidur5 daysWow so good- khalidur5 daysThis is so awesome. Love from India
otterlover25 daysIf only it held the possibilities of life :(what if it did though???
ilovehenrydsaf5 daysFascinating! I really love astronomy :3
iloveaxolotls7 daysSome planet's atmospheres are not oxygen. They are actually different gases.- iloveaxolotls7 daysThat is like super cool. I would love to go to space and see it. Astronauts are so lucky.
- fasaluju-1762965064957 daysyour so lucky
