GoKawiilVera C. Rubin Observatory spots possible sixth dwarf planet beyond Pluto
Astronomers using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile have identified a distant icy object, provisionally named 2026 ED138, orbiting about 46 astronomical units from the Sun. Based on its brightness and estimated reflectivity, researchers believe it measures between 600 and 1,500 km across, potentially making it the largest trans-Neptunian object found in two decades. The object was detected by Harvard astrophysicist Matthew Holman using a search code, then confirmed across 30 images spanning 20 nights, with older data tracing its path back to 2016.
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If confirmed as massive and round enough, 2026 ED138 would become the first new addition to the dwarf planet list since 2008, expanding scientists' understanding of what lies in the solar system's outer reaches. The discovery also demonstrates the power of Rubin's wide-field, repeated sky surveys to find faint objects that previous telescopes missed, especially those hidden against the dense star field of the Milky Way, suggesting more such finds could follow as the survey continues.
- A newly spotted object, 2026 ED138, could become the solar system's sixth recognized dwarf planet.
- Estimated at 600–1,500 km wide, it may be the largest trans-Neptunian object discovered in roughly 20 years.
- It evaded detection for years because its position near the Milky Way's plane camouflaged it among background stars.
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Published there as: “The solar system may have a sixth dwarf planet, hidden against the Milky Way”
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