Rubin Observatory discovers dwarf planet candidate beyond Pluto
The object provisionally called 2026 ED138 may measure between 600 and 1,500 km and be among the largest bodies ever found in the region.
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The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, in Chile, has discovered a dwarf planet candidate beyond Pluto's orbit. Provisionally named 2026 ED138, the object may be between 600 and 1,500 kilometers in diameter and rank among the largest bodies ever identified in that region of the Solar System, according to g1.
The discovery was announced by the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union. Infrared observations are still needed to determine its exact size and confirm whether the body can be classified as a dwarf planet.
If so, ED138 would join the five dwarf planets recognized by the Union: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.
The object was identified by Matthew Holman, a member of Rubin's operations team and a researcher at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He analyzed data collected in early 2026 with code he developed together with colleague Kevin Napier to locate moving objects among billions of records.
On noticing that the brightness and distance indicated an exceptionally large body, Holman ran a detailed search of Rubin's catalogs and images to verify the discovery.