Dwarf Planet Eris Covered in Nitrogen Ice

A team of scientists at Northern Arizona University, Missouri State University and Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory recently revealed that the frozen surface of Eris, the largest-known dwarf planet orbiting the sun, is predominantly covered in nitrogen ice, similar to the surface of Pluto.

Stephen Tegler, NAU professor of physics and astronomy and lead author of “Methane and Nitrogen Abundances on Eris and Pluto,” presented the team’s findings Oct. 5 at the 42nd annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences in Pasadena, Calif.

The recent findings will directly enhance NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft mission, currently scheduled to fly by Pluto in 2015, lending greater value to the continued research of Eris and Pluto.