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| Kuiper Belt, Dwarf (136472) Makemake(870 mile in diameter) [ credit image :NASA] |
Scientists have discovered methane gas on the dwarf planet Makemake, suggesting that this remote celestial body is an active icy world.This groundbreaking finding was achieved by a team from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) utilizing NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Makemake ranks among the largest and brightest celestial bodies beyond Neptune, and it has now become the second trans-Neptunian object, following Pluto, confirmed to possess gas.
"The Webb telescope has unveiled that methane is also found in the gas phase above the surface, a revelation that enhances Makemake's intrigue," stated Silvia Protopapa from SwRI, the lead author of an upcoming paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
"This indicates that Makemake is not just a dormant remnant of the outer solar system, but rather a vibrant body where methane ice continues to evolve," Protopapa further explained.
Makemake measures approximately 890 miles (1,430 kilometers) in diameter, making it two-thirds the size of Pluto.
The JWST detected methane by capturing a distinctive spectral signature of solar light re-emitted by methane molecules.
The presence of methane in gas form may be attributed to either a thin atmosphere surrounding Makemake or transient activities similar to those observed in comets when their volatiles sublimate, or possibly from cryovolcanic eruptions, as suggested by the study's authors.
"If the detected atmosphere is indeed a stable characteristic of Makemake, it is extremely thin. "
The surface pressure is merely about 10 picobars, which is 100 billion times less than Earth's atmospheric pressure, according to the authors' models.The authors created models for a scenario where methane is expelled in plume-like bursts. These simulations indicate that methane could be released at a rate of several hundred kilograms per second, making the activity level comparable to the water plumes observed on Saturn's ocean moon Enceladus.
Future Webb observations at higher spectral resolution will help determine whether the methane arises from a thin bound atmosphere or from plume-like outgassing," said Ian Wong, staff scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute and co-author of the paper.
The discovery has sparked a new way for scientists to accelerate more discovery that could be very beneficial to our lives in modern age .