[REVISION HISTORY]

Discovery of celestial candidates in Chile

6 recorded revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-29 10:13 UTC → 2026-10-30 08:46 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Astronomers utilizing facilities in Chile have identified two significant celestial candidates. Using the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Matthew Holman of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics discovered a massive trans-Neptunian object provisionally designated 2026 ED138. This object, located in the Kuiper Belt at approximately 46 astronomical units from the sun, has an estimated diameter between 600 and 1,500 kilometers and is considered a potential sixth dwarf planet for our solar system. On October 13, 2026, Holman identified the object using specialized search code developed with colleague Kevin Napier to analyze data from the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center officially announced the finding on October 27. Researchers, including University of Washington professor Mario Juric, utilized archival data dating back to 2016 to model an orbital path spanning over a decade. The object was previously difficult to detect because it resides near the plane of the Milky Way, where background stars often obscure distant bodies. ~~If physical characteristics are confirmed through future infrared observations,~~ Recent analysis indicates 2026 ED138 has an estimated orbital period of roughly 283 years. While its size is currently being refined, it is considered one of the largest objects discovered in this region of the outer solar system. If its gravity has shaped it into a nearly spherical form, it could join Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake as an officially recognized dwarf planet. The finding was corroborated by observations from the Dark Energy Camera at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. Data suggests the object has an orbital tilt of approximately 25 degrees, which may result from gravitational interaction with Neptune. Further observations, particularly in infrared wavelengths, are required to confirm its physical size, shape, and surface reflectivity to meet official criteria. In a separate finding, an international team using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the Atacama Desert reported evidence of an exomoon within the CD-35 2722 system. High-precision infrared measurements from the CRIRES+ spectrometer suggest an object with at least the mass of Jupiter is orbiting a brown dwarf.

Versions

Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.