An artist's impression of the object (612533) 2002 XV93, a world beyond Pluto that astronomers believe could have an atmosphere

An artist's impression of the object (612533) 2002 XV93, a world beyond Pluto that astronomers believe could have an atmosphere

A tiny, little-known world beyond Pluto appears to have an atmosphere, Japanese astronomers said Monday, defying what had been thought possible for icy objects in our cosmic backyard.

If confirmed, the roughly 500-kilometre-wide (310-mile) rock would become just the second world past Neptune in our Solar System to host an atmosphere -- after only Pluto itself.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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