New dwarf planet candidate found beyond Neptune
If confirmed, it would be the first addition to the dwarf-planet family since 2006.
29 Oct 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
Astronomers using the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile have announced a distant object, provisionally named 2026 ED138. It orbits the Sun at about 46 astronomical units, roughly 4.3 billion miles away and well beyond Pluto.
Size and dwarf‑planet status
Preliminary estimates put its diameter between 600 and 1,500 kilometers (about 370 to 930 miles). That size could be enough for the body to become spherical under its own gravity, the key test that separates dwarf planets from asteroids.
The object's orbit is tilted about 25 degrees from the plane of the solar system. That suggests a past gravitational encounter with Neptune may have altered its path.
The Vera Rubin Observatory began its main project, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, in June 2026. It scans the entire southern sky every few days with a 3.2-gigapixel camera. Its images have already led to more than 11,000 new asteroid discoveries, and it is expected to turn up more dwarf-planet candidates like 2026 ED138 in the coming years.