New Dwarf Planet Candidate 2026 ED138 Discovered Beyond Pluto

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Key takeaways

Astronomers discovered 2026 ED138, a massive icy object located 46 AU from the Sun beyond Pluto's 40 AU orbit.
The object has an estimated diameter of 600-1,500 km and an orbital tilt of 25°, classifying it as a hot-classical trans-Neptunian body.
The discovery was made using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile under its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) project.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognizes five official dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
The IAU reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006 after updating the rule that planets must clear their orbital pathways.

Astronomers have found a new icy space object named 2026 ED138 far beyond the orbit of Pluto.
Scientists used the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile to make this key space discovery.
The US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) jointly operate this observatory.
Researchers believe this newly found body could become officially classified as a dwarf planet after more observation.

The object sits about 46 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun, which puts it farther out than Pluto at 40 AU.
One astronomical unit equals the average gap between Earth and the Sun, measuring about 149.6 million km.
Scientists estimate its diameter between 600-1,500 km, making it one of the bigger potential dwarf planets in the outer Solar System.
Estimating exact size remains tricky because brightness depends on surface reflectivity or albedo, where small bright objects look like large dark ones.
Its path tilts about 25° to the main plane of the Solar System, matching the profile of a hot-classical trans-Neptunian object.
This finding showcases the high power of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) initiative running at the observatory over 10 years.
Tracking such distant bodies helps astronomers learn how the outer Solar System formed and how planets moved long ago.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines a dwarf planet as a body that circles the Sun directly.
A dwarf planet must carry enough mass so its own gravity pulls it into a nearly round shape.
Unlike a full planet, a dwarf planet has not cleared smaller space rocks out of its surrounding orbital path.
A dwarf planet cannot be a moon or satellite orbiting another planet.
The IAU officially recognizes five dwarf planets today, which are Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
While Ceres stays inside the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the other four circle the Sun past Neptune.
The IAU changed the status of Pluto to a dwarf planet in 2006 because it shares its orbital lane with other icy rocks.