Tokyo: A thin atmosphere has been identified on one of the trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which are small celestial bodies located beyond Neptune, marking the first discovery of its kind outside of Pluto, as reported by a team including the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

According to Philippines News Agency, the discovery was announced in the British journal Nature Astronomy on Monday. It was achieved through coordinated efforts by Japanese professional and amateur astronomers using small telescopes. This finding challenges previous beliefs about the atmospheric conditions on TNOs.

Temperatures in the outer solar system are extremely low, at minus 220 degrees Celsius or colder. It was previously thought that only gases like nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide could exist, with almost no atmospheres on the surface of TNOs. The thin atmosphere had only been found on Pluto, which is about 2,400 kilometers in diameter, while it was believed that smaller TNOs could not retain atmospheres due to their weak surface gravity.