Pluto may be entering a long-term phase in which its thin atmosphere begins to collapse. The change is linked to the dwarf planet’s position in its highly elongated orbit around the Sun.
Pluto takes about 248 Earth years to complete one trip around the Sun. It is now traveling progressively farther from the star, reducing the solar energy reaching its surface and potentially affecting the atmosphere above it.
Researchers have long observed that Pluto’s atmosphere changes as the dwarf planet moves along its orbit. The latest possibility is that the atmosphere is beginning to thin as Pluto heads toward the more distant, colder part of its journey.
If the trend continues, Pluto could offer scientists a rare opportunity to study how an atmosphere responds to major changes in distance from its star over an entire planetary cycle.
