New Candidate for Dwarf Planet Discovered Beyond Pluto's Orbit
Astronomers have identified 2026 ED138, a distant object beyond Pluto, as a strong candidate for a dwarf planet. Discovered by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, 2026 ED138's size and orbit suggest it may be the solar system's sixth dwarf planet, pending further observation.
Selected photograph — Discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005, Pluto's moons Nix and Hydra are roughly 5,000 times fainter than Pluto and are about two to three times farther from Pluto than its large moon, Charon. The discovery of Nix and Hydra confirmed that the Kuiper Belt, a swarm of icy bodies encircling the solar system beyond Neptune, was more complex an (source description; check relevance before publication) · Photo: NASA Hubble / Pluto and Its Moons Charon, Nix, and Hydra / CC BY 2.0 · Original image source · Licence
Astronomers announced the discovery of a new candidate for a dwarf planet located beyond the orbit of Pluto. The object, designated 2026 ED138, was detected by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which conducts extensive sky surveys to reveal distant solar system bodies rubinobservatory.org.
Situated roughly 46 times farther from the Sun than Earth, 2026 ED138 lies well beyond Pluto’s path. Its diameter is estimated to be between 600 and 1,500 kilometers, a size range compatible with the object having sufficient gravity to assume a spherical shape—a key criterion for classification as a dwarf planet livescience.com.
The orbit of 2026 ED138 is notably tilted by about 25 degrees relative to the plane of the solar system, likely influenced by gravitational interactions with Neptune. This significant inclination complicates detection against the dense star fields of the Milky Way’s inner region livescience.com.
Though the discovery marks a promising addition to the catalog of known distant solar system objects, confirmation of 2026 ED138’s status as a dwarf planet requires ongoing study. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s continuing surveys are expected to reveal more such objects, potentially expanding understanding of the solar system’s outer reaches rubinobservatory.orglivescience.comspace.com.