Atmosphere. Pluto has a thin, tenuous atmosphere that expands when it comes closer to the Sun and collapses as it moves farther away – similar to a comet. The main constituent is molecular nitrogen, though molecules of methane and carbon monoxide have also been detected.

Does Pluto always have an atmosphere?

Out on the chilly fringes of the Solar System, Pluto's thin atmosphere is created by sunlight warming nitrogen ice and other ices on the planet's surface, which vaporizes them. As a result, the atmosphere gets thicker and warmer when Pluto is closer to the Sun. Since 1989, Pluto has been moving away from the Sun.

Can you breathe on Pluto?

As such, there is simply no way life could survive on the surface of Pluto. Between the extreme cold, low atmospheric pressure, and constant changes in the atmosphere, no known organism could survive.