Webb Telescope Reveals Pluto’s Hazy Skies Are Cooling the Dwarf Planet Further

Speedy Summary

• The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has confirmed the presence of a hazy sky over Pluto,which affects its atmospheric dynamics.
• This haze cools Pluto’s mesosphere but simultaneously aids methane molecules in escaping into space.Some of this methane is captured by Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, staining its poles red with organic material.
• The phenomenon was hypothesized in 2017 and is now supported by thermal mid-infrared readings from JWST’s advanced imaging capabilities. Previous telescopes lacked the resolution to differentiate emissions from Pluto and Charon.
• The haze influences energy balance in Pluto’s atmosphere, controlling global temperatures and circulation patterns based on particle size and composition-research ongoing for detailed understanding.
• Similarities have been drawn between this phenomenon and hazes found on Titan (Saturn’s moon) or possibly early Earth prior to oxygen-enrichment of its atmosphere billions of years ago.

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