Astronomers recently discovered new details about Pluto’s high-altitude haze that show the tiny planet is more active than we thought.

Earlier, scientists believed Pluto was just a frozen and lifeless world. But in 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and showed that it has icy plains and tall, rugged mountains. Now, new research shows that Pluto also has a bluish, multi-layered haze that rises over 300 kilometres above its surface.

This haze is not just for appearance. Scientists say it plays a major role in controlling Pluto’s climate.

In a recent study titled Evidence of haze control of Pluto's atmospheric heat balance from JWST/MIRI thermal light curves, astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study the haze. They were able to measure the heat being given off by it.

The study said, “The observed fluxes indicate that Pluto's haze is composed of Titan-like organic particles as well as hydrocarbon and nitrile ices and demonstrate that the haze largely controls Pluto's atmospheric balance.”

This means Pluto’s temperatures, seasons, and air circulation are strongly affected by this haze. According to Tanguy Bertrand, the astronomer who led the study, “This is unique in the solar system. It's a new kind of climate, let's say.”

The study was published on June 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Pluto’s mysteries continue to puzzle scientists. Its surface, made of nitrogen ice and red-coloured tholins, is still being studied. Pluto’s atmosphere freezes and thaws as it moves around the Sun. It also has five moons, and their origin is still a big question.

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