Far beyond Neptune, in one of the coldest and most remote corners of our Solar System, astronomers have stumbled upon a mystery that wasn’t supposed to exist. A distant icy object known as 2002 XV93 appears to be surrounded by a thin layer of gas, a surprising discovery because the object is simply too small to hold onto an atmosphere for long. The finding has left scientists searching for answers and wondering whether something unexpected is happening on this frozen world beyond Pluto.
