Occultation evidence for an atmosphere on Pluto

Abstract

Observations from different sources of Pluto occulting a 12th-magnitude star indicate an extended atmosphere around the planet. Here, data obtained from the 1 m telescope at the University of Tasmania, Hobart are interpreted in terms of a theory for occultation by an atmosphere whose thickness is comparable to the planetary radius. The data can be satisfactorily fitted with a methane atmosphere at plausible pressures and temperatures. The surface pressures inferred from this single chord are uncertain by an order of magnitude, but are consistent with spectroscopic constraints.