Atmosphere of Pluto by the spacecraft "New Horizons". The main component of the atmosphere of Pluto is nitrogen. Content of methane, according to measurements by "New Horizons", is 0.25%. For carbon monoxide, the Earth-based estimates are (2010) and (2015). Under influence of high-energy cosmic radiation, these gases react to form more complex compounds (not volatile at Pluto's surface temperatures), including ethane (CH), ethylene (CH), acetylene (CH), heavier hydrocarbons and nitriles and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) (amount of ethylene is about 0.0001%, and amount of acetylene is about 0.0003%). These compounds slowly precipitate on the surface. Probably, they also include tholins, which are responsible for
Atmosphere may have outer atmospheres with compound molecules. Atmospheric pressure at a particular location is the force per unit area perpendicular to a surface determined by the weight of the vertical column of atmosphere above that location. On Earth, units of air pressure are based on the internationally recognized standard atmosphere (atm), which is defined as 101.325 kPa (760 Torr or 14.696 psi). It is measured with a barometer. Atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude due to the diminishing mass of gas above. The height at which the pressure from an atmosphere declines by a factor of "e" (an irrational number