THE ITALIAN BEE

Color images of Pluto released by NASA this year show the dwarf planet has a reddish brown surface. But an even newer photo shows that despite those colors, Pluto’s atmosphere has a blue haze.

The discovery results from the New Horizons probe’s fly-by of Pluto, which also captured data showing that the planet contains “numerous small, exposed regions of water ice,” NASA says.

But first things first: Why would a planet that’s been known to be reddish — even pink — have a blue sky?

Scientists attribute the color disparity to tholins, particles formed after sunlight sparks chemical reactions between nitrogen and methane in the atmosphere. The process was first seen on Titan, Saturn’s moon; in the case of Pluto, the particles are likely gray or red — but they scatter blue light, making it the most visible to the human eye.

Why Is The Sky Blue? (On Pluto, That Is)