Does Pluto have a substantial atmosphere

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980 · Icarus; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0019-1035(80)90054-8· OSTI ID:5881343

Trafton, L

The presence of CH4 ice on Pluto implies that Pluto may have a substantial atmosphere consisting of heavy gases. Without such an atmosphere, sublimation of the CH4 ice would be so rapid on a cosmogonic time scale that either such an atmosphere would soon develop through the exposure of gases trapped in the CH4 ice or else the surface CH4 ice would soon be all sublimated away as other, more stable, ices became exposed. If such stable ices were present from the beginning, the existence of CH4 frosts would also imply that Pluto's present atmosphere contains a remnant of its primordial atmosphere.

• Research Organization: McDonald Observatory; Texas, University, Austin, Tex.
• OSTI ID: 5881343
• Journal Information: Icarus; (United States), Vol. 44
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
PLUTO PLANET
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
MASS TRANSFER
METHANE
SOLIDIFICATION
SUBLIMATION
TRITONS
ALKANES
ATMOSPHERES
CHARGED PARTICLES
EVAPORATION
HYDROCARBONS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PLANETS
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena