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New dwarf planet candidate ED138 spotted beyond Pluto by telescope
Fox News • • science
Key Points:
- A new dwarf planet candidate, designated 2026 ED138, has been discovered beyond Pluto using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, potentially making it one of the largest such objects found in the outer solar system.
- The object is estimated to be between 370 and 930 miles in diameter and is currently located about 4.3 billion miles from the sun, farther than Pluto's average orbit.
- The discovery was made by astronomer Matthew Holman using advanced software to analyze telescope data, with the object previously hidden in a crowded star field near the Milky Way.
- Scientists plan further observations to confirm ED138's size and dwarf planet status, which would add it to the small group of known dwarf planets beyond Neptune.
- This finding highlights the capabilities of the Rubin Observatory's ongoing 10-year sky survey to uncover previously undetected celestial bodies in the solar system's distant regions.
