Possible dwarf planet discovered beyond Pluto

Astronomers have discovered a large icy object beyond Pluto that could qualify as a dwarf planet, potentially adding a new member to the solar system’s officially recognized group.

The discovery was announced on Thursday by the US-funded Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which houses the world’s largest 3.2-gigapixel digital camera, built specifically for astronomy.

Researchers estimate that the object, provisionally named 2026 ED138, is between 600 and 1,500 km in diameter and may be one of the largest dwarf planet candidates ever found. It currently sits roughly 46 times farther from the Sun than Earth. Pluto’s average distance, for comparison, is about 40 times Earth’s.

The object likely escaped detection until now because it appeared against a crowded backdrop of millions of stars near the plane of the Milky Way. However, Rubin’s repeated images and tracking software has now allowed scientists to pick out its movement.

If confirmed, ED138 would join five dwarf planets recognized by the International Astronomical Union, which include Eris, Haumea, Makemake, Ceres, and Pluto, which was considered the solar system’s ninth planet until it was reclassified in 2006. Dwarf planets orbit the Sun and have enough gravity to become roughly round, but share their orbital neighborhoods with other bodies.