The Atmosphere of Pluto as Observed by New Horizons

Abstract

Observations made during the New Horizons flyby provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of Pluto's atmosphere. While the lower atmosphere (at altitudes <200 km) is consistent with ground-based stellar occultations, the upper atmosphere is much colder and more compact than indicated by pre-encounter models. Molecular nitrogen (N${}_2$) dominates the atmosphere (at altitudes <1800 km or so), while methane (CH${}_4$), acetylene (C${}_2$H${}_2$), ethylene (C${}_2$H${}_4$), and ethane (C${}_2$H${}_6$) are abundant minor species, and likely feed the production of an extensive haze which encompasses Pluto. The cold upper atmosphere shuts off the anticipated enhanced-Jeans, hydrodynamic-like escape of Pluto's atmosphere to space. It is unclear whether the current state of Pluto's atmosphere is representative of its average state--over seasonal or geologic time scales.

arXiv commentin Science 351, aad8866 (2016)

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