Archive · 16 Jun 2025
Pluto's Haze: New Study Shows It Controls Dwarf Planet's Climate
Scientists have found out that Pluto has a haze, like a very thin cloud, high above its surface.
They used a special telescope called JWST to study it.
This haze is made of tiny particles and ice.
Surprisingly, this haze controls Pluto's weather!
It affects how warm or cold Pluto gets, and how the seasons change.
This makes Pluto's weather system different from anything else we know in our solar system, with frozen and thawing atmosphere.
Astronomers discovered new details about Pluto's high-altitude haze.
The haze rises over 300 kilometers above Pluto's surface.
Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study the haze.
The haze is composed of Titan-like organic particles, hydrocarbon and nitrile ices.
The haze strongly affects Pluto's temperatures, seasons, and air circulation.
- Who
- Astronomers led by Tanguy Bertrand conducted the study.
- What
- Scientists discovered that Pluto's haze controls its climate.
- When
- The study was published on June 2.
- Where
- The study pertains to Pluto, a dwarf planet in our solar system.
- Why
- To understand the composition and effects of the haze on Pluto's climate.
- Telescope Used
- James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
- Haze Height
- Over 300 kilometers
- Haze Composition
- Titan-like organic particles, hydrocarbon and nitrile ices
- Study Title
- Evidence of haze control of Pluto's atmospheric heat balance from JWST/MIRI thermal light curves
- Journal
- Nature Astronomy