Astronomers have discovered a possible new dwarf planet beyond Pluto
Celestial bodies continue to be found on the outskirts of the Solar System, which can help scientists better understand its structure and formation history. One of these objects was 2026 ED138, an icy body discovered beyond the orbit of Pluto. Astronomers have yet to refine its characteristics and find out if it meets the criteria for a dwarf planet. What is known about the object 2026 ED138 and how it was discovered is in the Izvestia article.
The find was found in archival photographs.
The opening of the 2026 ED138 facility was announced by the Reuters news agency. The body was discovered thanks to the analysis of astronomical observations. The work used an algorithm developed by astronomers Matt Holman and Kevin Napier. Additional observations, which made it possible to trace the movement of the object, were discovered by Mario Yurich.
The researchers used images taken by the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile. According to data on the observatory's website, the object was observed for about 30 nights over the course of 20 nights. The astronomers also examined archived images taken with the DECam camera starting in 2016. A comparison of the data helped to determine that the images depicted the same celestial body.
Matt Holman, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard and Smithsonian Institutions, who was the first to discover the object.
For me, this shows that there are still many exciting discoveries to be made with the help of the Vera Rubin Observatory and other telescopes.
What is known about the object
2026 ED138 refers to trans—Neptunian objects - celestial bodies whose orbits pass beyond the orbit of Neptune. At the time of the observations, it was located approximately 46 astronomical units from the Sun.
The object's orbit is tilted by about 25 degrees relative to the plane in which most planets orbit. Its features may indicate that in the past, the body's motion was influenced by Neptune's gravity. Such objects are of interest to astronomers because their orbits and properties help to study the processes that took place in the outer Solar system.
Why has the status of the dwarf planet not yet been confirmed?
The estimated diameter of 2026 ED138 is estimated in the range from 600 to 1.5 thousand km. The spread is due to the fact that scientists still do not know how much of the light falling on the surface the object reflects. To determine its size more precisely, additional observations will be needed, including in the infrared range.
By itself, the size does not allow us to definitively classify a celestial body as a dwarf planet. According to the criteria of the International Astronomical Union, such an object must orbit the Sun, have a large enough mass to acquire an almost spherical shape and not clear the vicinity of its orbit from other bodies.
If further research confirms that 2026 ED138 meets the necessary criteria, it may join the list of recognized dwarf planets. In the meantime, this is just a candidate whose characteristics need to be clarified.
The outer regions of the Solar System continue to be studied
The discovery of 2026 ED138 shows that even in a well-studied Solar system, unknown objects may remain. Such bodies are difficult to spot because of their remoteness and weak reflected light, so scientists use archival images and algorithms to search for moving sources.
The Vera Rubin Observatory is designed for long-term observations of the southern sky. According to the publication, within 10 years it will collect large amounts of data that will help identify new asteroids and distant bodies, as well as refine their orbits. These observations can expand the catalog of objects on the outskirts of the Solar System and give researchers more information about its formation.
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