NASA
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Pluto’s atmospheric pressure was found to be 12.23 bar.
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Nationalgeographic.co.id—Until now, Pluto still a fascination for astronomers, although in 2006 its status was downgraded to a dwarf planet. The planet, which has a high tilt (120°) and orbital eccentricity (0.25) has been known to experience seasonal episodes due to its massive depression known as Sputnik Planitia.
When Pluto passed in front of a star on the night of August 15 2018, a team of astronomers led by the Southwest Research Institute had deployed telescopes at various locations in the US and Mexico to observe atmosfer Pluto illuminated by the backlight of the star that was then in the right place. Scientists used this occult event to measure the overall abundance of Pluto’s weak atmosphere and found strong evidence that it began to disappear, freezing back to its surface as it moved away from the Sun.
The occultation took about two minutes, during which time the star faded from view as Pluto’s atmosphere and solid bodies passed in front of it. The rate at which stars disappear and reappear determines the density profile of Pluto’s atmosphere.
Furthermore, at a different time, on June 6, 2020, the same event occurred. Pluto is experiencing another moment of occultation, a phenomenon in which a planet in front of a bright star is seen from Earth, of course this is not missed by astronomers. Through the 3.6 m Devasthal optical telescope (DOT) (the largest optical telescope in India) and the 1.3 m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) located in Devasthal, Nainital, they studied Pluto.
Wikipedia
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Multi-layered fog in Pluto’s atmosphere. Part of the Sputnik Planitia plain with nearby mountains seen below. Photo by New Horizons, taken 15 minutes after closest approach to Pluto.
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This time a team of researchers from India, Brazil and France managed to reveal in their latest study that Pluto’s atmospheric pressure on its surface is 80,000 times less than on Earth. The team also includes researchers from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences-Uttarakhand, the Physical Research Laboratory-Ahmedabad, and the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology-Thiruvanathpuram from India.
As the occultation progressed, the researchers studied the signal-to-noise ratio of the light curve to arrive at an accurate Pluto atmospheric pressure. Pluto’s atmospheric pressure is found to be 12.23 bar, which is more than 80,000 times less than the pressure on Earth.
Research published in Astrophysical Journal Letters on December 24, 2021 entitled Pluto’s Atmosphere in Plateau Phase Since 2015 from a Stellar Occultation at Devasthal it also indicates that the pressure decreases as the season approaches the peak. There is seasonal variability in Pluto’s atmospheric pressure due to the vapor pressure of the nitrogen ice. In addition, the dwarf planet’s poles also remain in permanent sunlight or permanent darkness for several decades during their 248-year orbit around the sun.
Also Read: Pluto’s Atmosphere Slowly Disappears, Freezing To Its Surface
Also Read: Scientists Find Evidence That Could Make Pluto A Planet Again
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