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Solar system

Pluto is again a harbinger

New astronomical and laboratory data show that the abundances of the two dominant ices, nitrogen and methane, on the surfaces of the Solar System's two largest dwarf planets are surprisingly similar — raising fresh questions.

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Figure 1: Pluto, Eris and the Kuiper belt.

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Stern, S. Pluto is again a harbinger. Nature 468, 775–776 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468775a

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