Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Last Updated: 21 May 09:42 AM IST 22
November 2012Press Trust of India LONDON, 22 NOV: Astronomers
have discovered that a distant dwarf planet, about two-thirds
the size of Pluto, lacks atmosphere. The planet 'Makemake'
travels around the Sun in a distant path that lies beyond that
of Pluto but closer to the Sun than Eris, the most massive known
dwarf planet in the Solar System. Previous observations of
chilly Makemake have shown it to be similar to its fellow dwarf
planets, leading some astronomers to expect its atmosphere, if
present, to be similar to that of Pluto. But astronomers led by
Jose Luis Ortiz (Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, CSIC,
Spain) in a new study have found that like Eris, Makemake is not
surrounded by a significant atmosphere. “As Makemake passed in
front of the star and blocked it out, the star disappeared and
reappeared very abruptly, rather than fading and brightening
gradually. This means that the little dwarf planet has no
significant atmosphere,” said Jo