James Webb telescope spots potential conditions for life on 2 dwarf planets beyond Neptune
A pair of dwarf planets lurking in the outer reaches of the solar system could still be geologically active, increasing the chances that they could support alien life , a new study suggests. The findings could also change what we know about dwarf planets in general. There are five confirmed dwarf planets in the solar system: Ceres , Haumea, Eris, Makemake and the ex-planet Pluto . All of these planetary pretenders, apart from Ceres, are located in or around the Kuiper Belt, a disk of comets and other small objects beyond the orbit of Neptune . In 2015, NASA's New Horizons probe passed Pluto and spotted signs of recent geological activity in the dwarf planet's thinning atmosphere . Follow-up observations have shown that Pluto is covered in giant, icy volcanoes , which may still be active . Scientists believe that Pluto's surprising geological activity is caused by interactions with its moon Charon. As a result, they thought it was unlikely for other dwarf planets w...