Astronomers Spot Potential New Dwarf Planet Beyond Orbit of Pluto

Astronomers using a new telescope in Chile discovered a mysterious icy object orbiting beyond Pluto that could soon join the solar system's small group of officially recognized dwarf planets.

The candidate, provisionally named 2026 ED138, measures between 600 and 1500 kilometers in diameter and orbits the sun at a distance of about 46 astronomical units.

If confirmed, the object would join five other celestial bodies currently recognized as dwarf planets by the International Astronomical Union, which reclassified Pluto from ninth planet status in 2006.

"My first reaction was one of excited disbelief," said Matthew Holman, a senior astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian.

Holman said that objects like this are very rare and that he immediately began checking whether he or his computer code had made a mistake.

The discovery was made by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located atop Cerro Pachón in Chile, which houses the world's largest digital camera and maps the southern sky.

Researchers found that the object had avoided previous detection because its orbit placed it against the dense disk of the Milky Way, according to reports.

To confirm the classification, scientists must establish the physical size and shape of 2026 ED138 to ensure its own gravity has pulled it into a round form.

"The main thing we need to do is to establish the physical size of 2026 ED138," Holman said.

Scientists plan to use the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile to measure the light emitted by the object itself rather than just reflected sunlight.

"Rubin Observatory is just doing its job really well, inventorying the Solar System to new depths," said Megan Schwamb, an astrophysics reader at Queen's University Belfast.

Astronomers will conduct further observations over the coming months to determine whether the candidate meets all IAU requirements for official dwarf planet status.