Astronomers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have discovered that the dwarf planet 2007 OR10—nicknamed Snow White—is an icy world, with about half its surface covered in water ice that once flowed from ancient, slush-spewing volcanoes. The new findings also suggest that the red-tinged dwarf planet may be covered in a thin layer of methane, the remnants of an atmosphere that's slowly being lost into space. Snow White orbits the sun at the edge of the solar system and is about half the size of Pluto, making it the fifth largest dwarf planet.
Snow White orbits the sun at the edge of the solar system and is about half the size of Pluto, making it the fifth largest dwarf planet.
An artist's conception of 2007 OR10, nicknamed Snow White. Astronomers suspect that its rosy color is due to the presence of irradiated methane.