Pluto’s Atmosphere Could Disappear by 2030

Since 2006, the world has been debating whether or not our beloved astronomic neighbor Pluto is a planet or not. After heavy debates, it was decided that Pluto was not truly a planet. Now, in a “salt to the wound” scenario, it is estimated that Pluto’s atmosphere will dissipate by the eerily close year of 2030. Although this will not cause a significant impact on life on Earth, this alters our understanding of atmospheres and planetary orbits.

First of all, why isn’t Pluto a planet anymore? According to space.com, a larger mass named Eris was discovered in our solar system near Pluto. The debate of whether or not other larger bodies within our solar system were planets as well then began. Eris, being larger than Pluto, was the prime subject that led to Pluto being reclassified as what is known as a “Dwarf Planet,” which is, by definition, a “celestial body resembling a small planet but lacking certain technical criteria that are required for it to be classed as such.” This debate ultimately redefined the term “planet” as a whole, giving celestial bodies three criteria to meet in order to become a planet. These criteria, listed by Cornell.edu, state that a mass must be large enough for its gravity to give the body a spherical shape, it must orbit the sun, and it must be larger than other bodies that cross its orbit. Ultimately, the very existence of Eris and it crossing Pluto’s orbit helped scientists decide that neither Eris nor Pluto are planets.

In a recent study, it was found that Pluto’s atmosphere, which protects Pluto from the dangers of outer space. CNN states that a planet’s atmosphere is “largely made up of Nitrogen, with hints of Carbon Monoxide and Methane.” This same source references Andrew Cole, an assistant professor at the University of Tasmania’s School of Natural Sciences, who says that “when Pluto is furthest away from the Sun...Nitrogen freezes out of the atmosphere.” This loss of Nitrogen causes the atmosphere to condense, and Cole also confirms that “the atmospheric pressure has tripled over the past few decades, but as the planet orbits, our modelling showed that most of the atmosphere would condense out to almost nothing left.” The last thing that Cole claims comes with a somber tone: "What our predictions show is that by 2030 the atmosphere is going to frost out and vanish around the whole planet." Without an atmosphere, Pluto will be exposed to the elements in space, which will quickly lead to the destruction of the beautiful red and white surface of the Dwarf Planet.

Sadly, there is nothing that we can do to save Pluto’s atmosphere. All humanity can do is observe the beauty of Pluto while we still can. Pluto may no longer be considered a planet, but it is, for now, the same Pluto that we have come to love so dearly. No scientific definition of the word “planet” can change how breathtaking space can be, along with the celestial bodies within it. The loss of Pluto’s atmosphere will be tragic, but Pluto itself will never truly be gone. Pluto’s atmosphere may dissipate; Pluto’s surface may be left exposed to the violence of space, but one thing still remains: humanities love for Pluto will forever live on, unextinguished by even the freezing cold of space and the destructive impacts of space rocks.