Astronomers have detected a thin yet rare atmosphere for the very first time beyond Pluto around a small celestial body in the outer solar system.

The existence of an atmosphere surrounding the tiny icy rock has baffled the researchers as earlier they did not previously think about the possibility of rock harboring atmosphere due to its really small size.

These icy and rocky bodies are called trans-Neptunian objects or TNOs which exist in the Kuiper belt bordering our solar system. These rocks are the remnants from its formation 4.5 billion years ago.

The icy rock in question, known as 2002 XV93, is a small TNO roughly 311 miles in diameter, significantly smaller than Pluto (1,477 miles).

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