00:00Beyond Pluto, scientists found something that should not exist.
00:03A tiny frozen world, called 2002 Finanti 3, appears to have an atmosphere.
00:09That is shocking because this object is only about 500 kilometers wide.
00:14It sits in the Kuiper Belt, one of the coldest and darkest regions of our solar system.
00:20Astronomers noticed it when the object passed in front of a distant star.
00:23Instead of the star vanishing suddenly, its light faded gently.
00:28That tiny fade suggested a thin layer of gas around the object.
00:32This atmosphere is unbelievably weak.
00:34It may be 5 to 10 million times thinner than Earth's.
00:38Scientists think it could be made of methane, nitrogen, or carbon monoxide.
00:43But the biggest mystery is where it came from.
00:46It may have been released by icy volcanic activity.
00:49Or it may have appeared after a collision with another space object.
00:53Either way, this discovery changes what scientists thought about small frozen worlds.
00:58Because even in the deep darkness beyond Pluto,
01:01the solar system may still be alive with surprises.
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